Some of us are fortunate to have a rich cultural legacy while the rest of us simply acquire values as we go along.
In a converging world, owing to globalisation and digitalisation, there is a cultural synthesis in progress.
It is true that one has to sail with the tide, but, it is also important to maintain the strength of the boat. In earlier times, culture was not a matter of choice. Whereas today, social pressures are fading to give way to more independence. We are increasingly adopting ‘convenient’ ways rather than the best ways. Our strength is in preserving the essence of our individual culture, while evolving to a higher set of values. Social organisation, government and economy are beyond individual control. Therefore, I refer to preserving culture in terms of the customs, beliefs, language and arts. Culture colours life. It provides a feast for our senses, while keeping the sanity intact. It provides for artistic expression, and a sense of belonging. Most importantly, it is a subtle way of developing the intellectual and moral faculties in the next generation.
Education brings with it scientific thinking, which is required to weed out superstition, and other negative aspects involved. However, let us also bear in mind that our knowledge has limitations and that we cannot always rely on reason.
Sometimes unknowingly, acquire values, habits that maybe necessary to survive professionally, we should not let these seep into our personal sphere. Evolve to a higher set of values, we can even imbibe best practices from other cultures. The United Nations has published a list of values we could refer to.
If it is a cultural synthesis we are moving towards, let’s move to the best, while preserving the diversity that makes the world so beautiful.
- The reader is based in the UAE
