Culture, The Human Aspect.

After reading my blog, one of my closest friends told me “Why don’t you write something about Indian culture”. I then asked myself, am I qualified enough to write on Indian culture or for that matter on any culture. Cultures and tradition is a vast subject which would really need in-depth knowledge of how the cultures have evolved and how’s it’s been taken forward.



Then again I started thinking, what exactly is culture, is it country specific or should culture be more of a human aspect. After pondering over it for sometime, I have come about to write this article of what I feel should be considered culture and I guess no boundary or borders can classify them as proprietary, if understood in this aspect.



Culture to me is about human interaction, it’s about respect and etiquettes. When someone says its ‘Our Culture’, people look at the term more in the traditional sense and would probably look at how they eat, dress or perform certain rituals. These aspects form the boundaries on which countries are built and it changes from place to place. With modernization and technological advances, many of these core aspects that we consider as culture has changed and I wont be wrong in saying adulterated. The very reason that these aspects could be tampered is good enough to justify my point about what culture really should be.



The aspects on which I define the term ‘Culture’ is inbred into the human soul and no matter how much of modernization or technology prowess creeps in, these core values will remain.



For me any human being, be it from the so called advanced first world nation or from a third world nation is cultured, as long as he understands the basic human value system.

He believes in treating individuals on equal terms and respects them no matter what race, creed or job profile he holds.



For me any human being is cultured, when he respects his or her parents and family and feels responsible for their well being. If he shows respect, when in front of the elders, women and children, this person is far more cultured than a person with high education and top management job. What good is this education if you cannot even know the basics of human interaction?



I have come across managers who due to the position they hold are on a ego trip and forget the basic communication mantra. But then again I stop think and realize such people would have never been cultured to start with , otherwise, when you go higher up in position you gain experience in dealing with more people and hone your cultural skills.



In India, they say a guest is next to god and guests in their homes are treated with utmost respect. This is why foreigners feel welcome when they go to this country, as the Indians see them as guests in their home. Here, it’s the respect for the other human being that gets displayed as culture.



In Austria and other European countries, I am told that residents take the trouble of classifying their garbage voluntarily and make sure the garbage is thrown in designated bins. Here it’s the respect for nature that gets displayed as culture.



In Countries, where the salary and jobs are based on which nationality or which religion you belong to can never call themselves to be cultured. As I had mentioned, the basic human value system has been abused here and that shows in how these nationalities from these countries treat other nationalities.



From my perspective, culture has not too many faces and if the basic value system of respecting humans and nature is followed world over, only then can we call ourselves a cultured race.