How do we figure out what we really believe or do we even want to know it? Children automatically believe the things older people tell them as well as what other children tell them. But after time when we make some experiences through which we learn to be careful about what other people say, we start to think critically in order to not get hurt or make mistakes. We avoid things that harm us which makes sense and is natural. Though, those things, which maybe are not the best for us but we are comfortable with, we decided not to think about or it does not come to our mind to even question those things.
However, the people we trust and who we are close to can have a great influence on what we believe. Let’s think about religion for example? Why is it so common that the members of a family have the same religion or the majority of the population in a country believes in the same things? Is it because that is truly what they believe in, or is it because they grew up with this religion and they were thought that this is the right one for them, or because they have never really thought about it. All over the planet we can find so many different religions we do not really know about, but automatically reject the idea that those religions can offer us something we believe. So, how can we be sure to believe in the right things when we do not know the other possibilities?
Culture plays also a very important role when it comes to our values and how we see things. Other cultures have to offer us a lot we can learn from, but in order to learn something we have to be open-minded and think critically. It is hard for us to accept other ideas or be open for new things. We are afraid of changes and do not like to risk something when we are comfortable with the way it is and not know what a change would cause. So, we prefer to stick with the things we are comfortable with even when we do not know if it is the best decision for us. But as long as we can live with it, it is ok.
However, how can we judge other cultures when we do not know and understand their values or believes? Life is different in each country on this planet and the people adjust to it and create their own lifestyle. What for people in one part of the world makes sense does not necessarily have to make sense to people in another country because people face different circumstances and have different backgrounds. So, we always have to be informed and should try to understand why the things are the way they are before we can judge them.
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