POLL: Would you be willing to broaden your horizons?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Schmika @ Nov 10 2006, 07:29 PM) [snapback]347282[/snapback]</div>

The concept that giving praise to another culture is like saying it is "better than America" really shows why we have so much violence here and why we put up with it.

There is such insecurity in America, we aren't skinny enough, this food is bad, the terror level is orange! We are encouraged to be scared by our government, our health officials, magazines and TV. Insecure people are more likely to be aggessive in order to compensate for their fears. They look for something to have power over. I have known people from the middle east and the far east, I have been to Mexico, Canada, England and Italy. In these countries people seem to have so much more confidence, they exude it. My developmentally disabled clients don't care about these insecurities and they have confidence to be themselves and enjoy life. They are a joy to be with.

America is still a toddler in the eyes of the world and we do have much to learn. Being "better" isn't the point to life, being involved is.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 10 2006, 06:17 PM) [snapback]347227[/snapback]</div>

Right on Pinto !

This summs it up perfectly, when I read the title of this poll, my first thought was "like duh, who wouldn't". I can't imagine how boreing and pointless life would be without the desire to learn new things. Think how each of us can increase our circle of friends by learning of other cultures.

I guess I'm lucky because my job forces me to learn about many other cultures and customs just to be able to work with the people I meet on a daily basis. Then again, I didn't have to exactly be dragged kicking and screaming into it either. Then there are the other things you learn simply by being interested in other cultures. Do you know where today there exist rice terraces still in use that aare estimated to be about 6,000 years old? I've met people that have worked in those terraces. Some other very close friends of my wife and I grew up behind the iron curtain. As long as I mentioned my wife, as an infant, her mother had to constantly keep her on the move to avoid the bombings of WWII. I could go on till the cows come home telling the things I learned from other people and cultures. But you see, once you start learning of others, soon you realize that whomever they are or wherever their from, people love, laugh, and cry the same.

 

OK, I want to clarify something. I think learning about other cultures is fascinating. My earlier point was that in the current climate...said courses, if organized by the gov't or gov't schools, would, IMHO, become U.S. bashing, other cultures are all better, why can't we be like them, classes.

You may be interested to know, there are many cultures within the U.S. culture and I have had to learn to deal effectively with ALL of them.