Music
Yeah.
Silence, humility, devotion.
Young Buddhist monks beg for food from families in their village in accordance with religious
beliefs.
This ritual takes place twice each day in many Buddhist nations where religion and traditional
values are part of nearly everyone's way of life.
People's beliefs and values help them develop and understand their attitude and approach
toward government, economics, and their daily way of living.
Beliefs and values play a significant role in defining a culture.
What is a culture?
Most anthropologists agree that a human culture is learned behavior acquired by individuals
as members of a social group.
There are several universal elements which need to be examined in order to understand
and define a culture.
They include beliefs and values, geography and natural resources, social organizations,
and economic activities.
Members of a culture share certain beliefs, morals, customs, traditional practices, and
a common language.
The sum of the elements that unite a group of people is collectively referred to as a
culture.
A culture is a total way of life.
This lesson will examine how a culture is defined by the beliefs and values of the people
who live within a particular nation or region.
Beliefs and values are often shaped by historical events or philosophies handed down by individuals
or social and religious organizations.
Beliefs and values strongly influence the way people choose to conduct their lives,
and beliefs and values can have a significant impact upon a culture's government, economy,
and way of life.
For example, the United States is a nation which was created based on specific beliefs
and values regarding individual freedom.
Freedom of religion and freedom to openly express one's beliefs is at the core of the
American Constitution.
Preserving such freedoms has influenced the American system of government and economics.
Democracy is based on individuals having the freedom to vote for the political candidates
of their choice.
And free enterprise is a system of economics which allows individuals to own and run their
own businesses, make the products of their choice, and buy and sell things they desire
on an open market.
The American version of democracy and free enterprise economics was designed by the founding
fathers because of their beliefs in personal freedom and the value they placed on maintaining
an individual's freedom to choose.
Today the American system has been modeled by several countries around the world and
is frequently modified or combined in some way with traditional systems in numerous developing
world nations.
Perhaps more than ever before, cultural beliefs and values are affected by cross-cultural
contact and increased cultural interdependence.
This is largely due to communication among different social organizations and individuals
and the movement of people between cultures due to immigration.
Many cultures assign value to a variety of things such as material objects, social relations,
technical ability or skilled craftsmanship, artistic ability, education, and religious
beliefs.
Each culture has different values and beliefs which are shaped by its unique history and
experiences.
In some cultures, a person or family standing within a culture might be measured by its
abundance of material objects.
By contrast, some cultures place a high value on interpersonal relations or respect for
community elders.
In a nation such as Bali, older people are admired for the wisdom they've gained through
a lifetime of experience.
Technical and craft skills are highly valued in some cultures.
These aboriginal people on the Tiwi Islands of Australia share their ancient legends through
the sacred art of pole carving.
These poles stand as personal tributes at the grave sites of the deceased.
In America's southwest, many Native American families, such as these women from the Zia
Pueblo, have a high regard for traditional practices of food preparation, ceramics, and
weaving.
The people of Denmark are proud of their unique heritage in the fine craft of sculptured painting.
Items such as this often become valuable throughout the world.
Skills and knowledge are passed from generation to generation.
Practice is encouraged, and talents are nurtured in order to produce these beautiful items.
Most cultures place some value on artistic expression.
A gallery exhibit of an artist in Norway.
A sculpture garden in Sweden.
A street painter in Costa Rica.
Art can provide a unique and meaningful reflection on the values of a culture.
Art can also educate about current issues, such as the destruction of tropical rainforests
in Central America.
And it can bring people closer to their religious values and traditions through painted and
sculpted icons of the men, women, animals, and gods deemed holy by a culture.
Education is a valued asset in most cultures.
Teachers, scholars, shamans, clerics, coaches, skilled artisans, and other educators often
possess knowledge or talent admired and valued by society.
Teaching styles can vary widely, and students around the world seek knowledge through various
forms of education.
And American college coach shares his knowledge of the game.
A Hindu scholar explores the wisdom of holy scriptures.
A young craftsman learns to recount Buddhist history on a wooden pallet.
A Peruvian shaman shares an offering to spirits of the ancient Inca.
Education is valued in many different ways and cultures throughout the world.
It is through both formal and informal education that values and beliefs are passed from one
generation to the next.
Strong religious or spiritual beliefs and ritual practices often dictate what is valued
by a culture and help to shape individual lifestyles.
Religious beliefs sometimes add structure to a culture by providing a set of moral laws.
Many religions explore the concept and meaning of a soul in relation to a god or gods, and
nearly all religions espouse guidelines for individual behavior.
For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam share similar views about good and evil and
the implications of sin.
And the holy books of each faith have written guidelines or spiritual laws intended to influence
a person's lifestyle choices.
In some cultures, people devoted to a particular religion or spiritual way of life spend time
each day in prayer or meditation.
Some perform acts of kindness according to their religious mandate.
Some make pilgrimages to mystic lands in honor of their gods.
It's important to note, however, that not all people within a culture always share the
same system of beliefs and values.
India is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and is home to people
from many different cultural backgrounds.
To outsiders, one culture's system of beliefs and values may seem confusing and impractical.
For example, the Hindu faith in India prohibits the consumption of beef.
Cows are considered divine and are revered and cared for in unique ways.
To many non-Hindus in India, the cow is strictly a work animal and a source of food, not necessarily
a sacred creature.
Key events in a culture's history, such as war or governmental changes, also influence
beliefs and values.
A culture preserves its history and passes it on to new generations through formal and
informal education.
History can provide lessons on how to live within a culture.
Members of a culture often learn from these lessons, whether through storytelling, formal
education or various forms of media such as television, books and the internet.
People are able to understand traditions, values, beliefs and customs by being educated
in their own cultural history.
Events in history often affect more than one culture.
These events can be significant factors in motivating cultures to interact with each
other to pursue a common cause, such as the union of allied forces opposing Adolf Hitler's
Third Reich in World War II.
France, Canada, the United States and Great Britain, among others, united in their fight
against the Nazis.
In addition to historical events, several other factors cause cultures to interact and
influence cultural interdependence, including uneven distribution of natural resources,
advancements in technology and the growing impact of various forms of media such as music,
television, satellite communications and the internet.
All help to create intercultural relationships throughout the world by enabling the exchange
of ideas, beliefs, values, goods and services.
History is a compilation of events that can affect one or many cultures simultaneously.
Warming events, national elections, space exploration and natural disasters are just
a few of the factors that encourage cultural interaction.
Historical events such as the first lunar landing, the epidemic spread of the AIDS virus,
genetic cloning and anti-government protests are historical occurrences that can revolutionize
thinking and behavior in many cultures throughout the world.
Today one million American students strike for peace.
The uneven distribution of natural resources also facilitates cultural interdependence.
For example, people of the Midwestern United States have abundant land for farming.
Crops are grown and harvested, then used locally or exported to other cultures where ample
farmland is not available.
Science and technology also contribute to cultural interdependence and improved communication.
For example, it's become commonplace for people to travel from one culture to another and
into previously unreachable wilderness areas through various forms of air transportation.
This increases exposure among cultures.
Different forms of media such as television, newspapers, magazines, radio and computer
software all facilitate greater cross-cultural communication.
Each allows exposure to a broad range of beliefs and values shared by members of a variety
of cultures.
Students in many parts of the world can obtain information on different cultures and their
beliefs and ways of life via the internet.
And electronic mail or email allows global communication and the sharing of ideas among
members of numerous cultures.
Various forms of technology have made cross-cultural contact easier and are helping create understanding
of the differences among cultures around the world.
Expanding cultural interdependence is having a global impact.
As cultures become more interactive, members of a culture are exposed to new ideas, values
and behaviors.
While such interaction can promote understanding and acceptance of differences, it can in some
cases reinforce negative attitudes.
People who are passionate about their beliefs and values sometimes view cultural differences
negatively.
The result may be conflict and misunderstanding.
Because of their open immigration policies, many cultures demonstrate cultural interdependence
within their own borders.
The United States, for example, has traditionally had a fairly open immigration policy.
People from many cultures around the world have had the opportunity to become American
citizens.
The laws of the United States were drafted to protect cultural differences and the nation
was founded on belief in religious and philosophical freedom.
The U.S. Constitution states that all people are created equal and entitled to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.
Today, people from many developing world nations fight to secure the same political, economic
and religious freedoms for their people, often using countries such as India, Canada, France,
the United States and Britain as examples of governmental systems they hope to model.
It is the hope of many in these struggling nations that the values of cultural diversity,
tolerance and freedom will enhance happiness, health, opportunity and prosperity.
To recap, when learning how to study a culture, it's important to examine the universal elements
that define a culture.
They include beliefs and values, geography and natural resources, social organizations
and economic activities.
The important elements to consider when studying a culture's system of beliefs and values include
material objects, social relations, technical ability or skilled craftsmanship, artistic
ability, education and religious beliefs.
Remember that cultural history and growing cross-cultural contact and communication influence
what the members of different cultures believe and value.
Whether through travel, immigration or various forms of media, the growth of cultural interdependence
in the 21st century is inevitable.
From art to religion, technology to education, understanding how a culture's systems of beliefs
and values works is an important element to consider when learning how to study a culture.