2. Culture: the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, attitudes, values, institutions, and all other products of human works and though that characterizes the everyday existence of social or ethnic group. Value: the ideals or important beliefs of an individual or society. Values can be both positive and negative.
3. Family is the place that determines and shapes an individual’s culture as well as values. Different people are brought up with different family backgrounds, thus their beliefs and actions would reflect their societies and historical backgrounds. Communication is a part of culture. The way that different group of people greet illustrates how people socialize within their own group. Greeting gestures can also reveal the values that have been passed on in certain group of people. Eg. In Thai culture, “Wai” shows the values of conservative and politeness.
4. It is not necessarily that people from different background would not share the same values. Sometimes, different people are drawn to believe in the same values as they have opportunities to see more of the world. When a group of people share the same value and belief, an organization or a society can be created among them so that they can keep interact. Eg. People who believe in justice founded Amnesty International .
5. Conflicts can occur because of the differences in values and believes. In this case, patriotism are stirred among a group of people who have the same nationality. They are made to believe in their superiority and their right to control. This results in the crimes against humanity such as the persecution of Jews. In some part of the world, women do not have the same rights as men and they are considered to have a lower status. A majority of people in this world may support woman’s right. However, there might be some element of the society that make those women to be in certain position. Religion might be a part of the reason why women have to act in a certain way. So, sometime, what we think is right may not always be in other society’s perspective.
6. Religion is a very sensitive issue. Each belief has been established for centuries that it has become a part of our culture. Religious beliefs are transmitted from one generation to another, so it is something that we are born with. Most of the religions don’t allow people who believe in them practice other rituals, so religion plays a great role in shaping a person’s values. I am a Buddhist, and my religion plays a great role in my life. It guides my decisions and actions as I have absorbed the values of Buddhism. Buddhists believe in Karma, thus before we would take actions, we would think about the consequences that would happen.
7. When you belong to a society, a feeling of having to be accepted is there. In order to fit in, sometime you will have to act and behave like the members of the group. However, there might be an internal conflict going on because the values that your society believe doesn’t seem to suit you. Nowadays, technology makes it possible to connect people around the world. Globalization becomes important as we have to pay attention to what is going on around us. This global communication promotes the sense of diversity. Nonetheless, people from the same background or society tend to stick together as they share the same values and beliefs.
