Use Your Difference to Make a Difference

25The Importance of Cultural Awareness

Cultural awareness is the recognition of our cultural traits, such as language, beliefs, art, music, values, history, and perception. This knowledge, when acquired, becomes the foundation of our communication with others, especially those of different backgrounds, because it gives us an entirely fresh perspective and the drive to learn more about them.

The first stage of cultural awareness involves digging deeper into our identities to derive more meaning about the things we may not know or understand. This level of knowledge forms the basis for the next stage of this awareness, which is understanding other cultures around us.

As we begin to investigate and interact with people from different cultures, we inevitably come across routines and behaviors that are quite different from how we do things. Sometimes, these behaviors might even seem absurd to us. When we begin to notice these differences, the best thing is to acknowledge, accept, and appreciate them.

Problems usually arise when we are too rigid and leave no room for flexibility. Our lifestyles, beliefs, religions, experiences, and values are often things passed down from our ancestors and families, and these are the things that make us unique and distinguish us from those of other identities. This being the case, attempting to be rigid and visibly intolerant of another culture will get you nowhere.

What is accepted by a particular group of people might be frowned upon by others. ...