East Versus West
You become a product of where you live and whom (or what) you love. Yes, nature takes a part in your character development and value placement. But, how you are nurtured, along with the object of your affections, hones who you are.
We recently concluded an action packed week with your Mausi* and her family. The time was sweet and precious. You cousins concocted imaginative adventures. Tummies were fed mostly "Canadian" fare with dollops of ice cream now and then. And us adults played many, many board games while laughing and sharing over chai and chocolate.
Your Mausi and her family live in another region of our world, where the climate and food is hot and the culture is more patriarchal than ours. And as I listened to the differences between here and there, and pondered how your Mausi and her family live a life that is quite different than mine, I couldn't help but ask myself, "What 'Western' values are worth holding on to? And what 'Eastern' values are worth adopting?"
Now, I am going to offer some very general Eastern culture and Western culture differences from my limited experience. My analysis is simplistic for the sake of space.
In the West, we value the individual over the community. Human rights and freedom of speech are touted as axioms. We value authenticity and candor -- even if we lose a relationship as a result of being "real". We celebrate equality among the genders. We protect our privacy, at the expense of hospitality. Modesty is a mild suggestion, a personal preference defined by personal beliefs. And we pride ourselves in accomplishing tasks and feats by ourselves.
In the East, we value the community over the individual. Cultural rights and freedom of speech for our elders and leaders are upheld as ideal. We value uniformity and preservation of family dignity -- even if we have to be dishonest to keep a relationship. We celebrate cultural and religious gender roles. We practice hospitality, at the expense of privacy. Modesty is an expectation, a societal tool for self-control and self-preservation. And we pride ourselves in employing as many people as we can to accomplish tasks and feats.
Upon personal analysis, I would say that I tend to look at the world through Western eyes. Yet, due to my East Indian ethnicity, I am influenced by several Eastern values. Your Nana and Nani are more Eastern than Western. Though with every passing year in the True, North, Strong & Free, their perspective inches closer towards Canadian ideology than Indian ideology. So, I am curious about how your cousins will view the world, say twenty years from now. Will they be more Eastern than Western, since they live over there?
Regardless, certain Western values resonate with me. For instance, I do believe in equality of the genders. I appreciate that I, as a woman, can purchase property or open a bank account without the signature of a man. I feel liberated to know that I could do pretty much anything I put my mind to accomplishing, if I was so led. It is a comfort to know that I can obtain a world case education, so I could support myself, or my family, in the face of a financial crisis. Thus, in terms of equal opportunities for all, I am glad that you, my daughter, are growing up here.
Yet, I appreciate many Eastern values as well. Take modestly, for example. I believe our North American dress code borders on being risqué, especially during the summer. The shorts are too short. The necklines keep plunging. And I have a personal annoyance over women intentionally revealing their bra straps (dear lady, I don't need to know the colour of your underwear). Many women in our society have no qualms about flaunting their femininity in the public arena. After all, a man should control himself regardless of a woman's dress. I agree with the latter conclusion, but not the former behaviour of publicly flaunting one's body (and I don't think men should flaunt their bodies either -- equality, right?). I believe Eastern cultures are better at acknowledging that a woman's dress does influence a man's thinking, and his resultant behaviour. (Again, the issues discussed in this paragraph are quite simplistic. Modesty issues are much more complicated -- and messy -- in both East and West cultures.)
Back to my initial assertion: You become a product of where you live and whom (or what) you love. Sometimes it freaks me out that your character is influenced by the culture you live in. It is very difficult to escape culture. It influences your outlook on life and even how you interpret the Bible. Yet, I take huge comfort in the fact that you are also influenced by who you love. Currently, I am reading the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is reminding the Israelites about their covenant with God Almighty. Here is a famous passage:
We recently concluded an action packed week with your Mausi* and her family. The time was sweet and precious. You cousins concocted imaginative adventures. Tummies were fed mostly "Canadian" fare with dollops of ice cream now and then. And us adults played many, many board games while laughing and sharing over chai and chocolate.
Your Mausi and her family live in another region of our world, where the climate and food is hot and the culture is more patriarchal than ours. And as I listened to the differences between here and there, and pondered how your Mausi and her family live a life that is quite different than mine, I couldn't help but ask myself, "What 'Western' values are worth holding on to? And what 'Eastern' values are worth adopting?"
Now, I am going to offer some very general Eastern culture and Western culture differences from my limited experience. My analysis is simplistic for the sake of space.
In the West, we value the individual over the community. Human rights and freedom of speech are touted as axioms. We value authenticity and candor -- even if we lose a relationship as a result of being "real". We celebrate equality among the genders. We protect our privacy, at the expense of hospitality. Modesty is a mild suggestion, a personal preference defined by personal beliefs. And we pride ourselves in accomplishing tasks and feats by ourselves.
In the East, we value the community over the individual. Cultural rights and freedom of speech for our elders and leaders are upheld as ideal. We value uniformity and preservation of family dignity -- even if we have to be dishonest to keep a relationship. We celebrate cultural and religious gender roles. We practice hospitality, at the expense of privacy. Modesty is an expectation, a societal tool for self-control and self-preservation. And we pride ourselves in employing as many people as we can to accomplish tasks and feats.
Upon personal analysis, I would say that I tend to look at the world through Western eyes. Yet, due to my East Indian ethnicity, I am influenced by several Eastern values. Your Nana and Nani are more Eastern than Western. Though with every passing year in the True, North, Strong & Free, their perspective inches closer towards Canadian ideology than Indian ideology. So, I am curious about how your cousins will view the world, say twenty years from now. Will they be more Eastern than Western, since they live over there?
Regardless, certain Western values resonate with me. For instance, I do believe in equality of the genders. I appreciate that I, as a woman, can purchase property or open a bank account without the signature of a man. I feel liberated to know that I could do pretty much anything I put my mind to accomplishing, if I was so led. It is a comfort to know that I can obtain a world case education, so I could support myself, or my family, in the face of a financial crisis. Thus, in terms of equal opportunities for all, I am glad that you, my daughter, are growing up here.
Yet, I appreciate many Eastern values as well. Take modestly, for example. I believe our North American dress code borders on being risqué, especially during the summer. The shorts are too short. The necklines keep plunging. And I have a personal annoyance over women intentionally revealing their bra straps (dear lady, I don't need to know the colour of your underwear). Many women in our society have no qualms about flaunting their femininity in the public arena. After all, a man should control himself regardless of a woman's dress. I agree with the latter conclusion, but not the former behaviour of publicly flaunting one's body (and I don't think men should flaunt their bodies either -- equality, right?). I believe Eastern cultures are better at acknowledging that a woman's dress does influence a man's thinking, and his resultant behaviour. (Again, the issues discussed in this paragraph are quite simplistic. Modesty issues are much more complicated -- and messy -- in both East and West cultures.)
Back to my initial assertion: You become a product of where you live and whom (or what) you love. Sometimes it freaks me out that your character is influenced by the culture you live in. It is very difficult to escape culture. It influences your outlook on life and even how you interpret the Bible. Yet, I take huge comfort in the fact that you are also influenced by who you love. Currently, I am reading the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is reminding the Israelites about their covenant with God Almighty. Here is a famous passage:
Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (italics added)I appreciate the way the Message paraphrases the italics section above in Mark 12, when Jesus was quoting the above section: Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy. If we love God with our passions, through our prayers, by our intelligence, with all of our energy -- by His enabling -- we will become who He wants us to be, in spite of being immersed in the West or the East (or a combination thereof). Yes, culture will still be a huge influence on our lives, sometimes to our benefit and other times to our detriment. But God will work it out for good, if we let Him.
*Mausi: Maternal Aunt who is also the Mother's sister.