Western and Eastern Culture: Similarities and Differences - Essay Example

Western and Eastern culture: Similarities and Differences Before we go ahead with the comparison of western and eastern culture, let us briefly understand what culture is all about. According to anthropologist, Clifford Geertz defines culture as a 'historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols by means of which men can communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitude towards life'. (Understanding culture and cultural differences). Culture can be a pattern of behavior followed by a group of people and then passed on to the future generations which gradually, becomes tradition and custom. Activities like eating and sleeping are natural, but eating with chopsticks and sleeping on bed is cultural. Eating with fork and knife is culture in the west but eating with hand is culture in the Arab world. Cultural differences can be found in all aspects when we compare the east and the west. Even when we commence a business activity in a foreign land we need to give importance to the culture followed so that the company is accepted globally. (Understanding culture and cultural differences). Situated between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Middle East has been the dream destination for travelers, empire builders and traders. The population includes Kurds, Iranians, Arabs, Jews, Turks, Armenians, and Nubians. The diversified population gives rise to the cultural richness in Middle East. Completely in contrast to the eastern culture, the western culture evolved in ancient Greece, slowly spreading over the European countries. The two traditions which contributed to this culture is the inheritance of the classical culture and Christianity. Today this culture has moved out of European countries and gradually spread across the entire globe. This culture mainly dominates in the central European nations and western countries like the US and Canada. We can also see the increasing influence of this culture in Asian nations like India, China, Thailand and Singapore with the liberalization of the economy. Religion The people of the eastern world give great importance to religion and rituals are followed with immense dedication. Middle East is the birth place for three religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All the three religions have common tradition of prophets, same dietary rules and focus on religion for the foundation of the civil law. The people of the Arab world follow Islam. The Koran is the holy book which is considered as a spiritual guide, a system of law, code of ethics and a way of life. All Muslim members are expected to read the holy book everyday. The teachings of the Koran forms the foundation for Islamic culture and tradition. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad are considered paramount in the Koran. Friday is considered as the holy day and no business activity takes place on this day. Facing east (direction of Mecca), kneeling, forehead and palms touching the floor, Muslims pray five times a day and Friday noon prayer is led by a spiritual leader. All the male members of a Muslim family go to mosque compulsorily and the female members pray at home. All Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca once in their lifetime. The month of Ramzan is considered as the holy month for rejuvenating oneself by abstaining from food, drinks and personal pleasures in the daylight. (Religion in the cultures of Middle East. 2006). However, the Christian religion dominates the western culture. The Bible is considered as the force which has created religious identity to the western culture. The religion encourages freedom of expression and speech to both genders equally. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are the important celebrations of this culture. Sunday is considered as the holy day and no business activities takes place on this day. The Vatican City is the place of pilgrimage for this religion, and decisions taken by Pope play an important role, in the progress of the world economy, as the Christian population remains the largest in the world. Family and lifestyle Individualism, freedom, capitalism, innovations, science and technology, music, literature, fashion are some of the few aspects we think of when we talk about the western culture. Existence of nuclear families gives us valid evidence about the importance given to individualism in these nations. Children above the age of 18, moving away from their family, earning a living for themselves, live in relationships are a part of the western culture. The westerners indulge in alcohol consumption, smoking, visiting beaches, pubs, discotheques etc during weekends as a part of relaxation. An individual's freedom is always respected in this culture. Unlike the western world, the Arab culture gives a lot of respect and importance to their family moorings, and thus we can see Arab households full of grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, cousins, nieces, in laws and other relatives. We can learn about the bond of unity among the members and common sharing of resources, however frugal, among them. The cultural differences occur mainly because of the conservatism in the religion. Consumption of alcohol, gambling, usury and premarital sex, are not a part of Arab lifestyle. They regard such activities as taboo and against family ethics and religion. Polygamy is practiced and male member is honored by the number of sons he sires. The ultimate family decisions are taken by the family patriarch. The Arabs are very friendly and participates in social activities. During festive seasons like the ramzan month, all the members of the family pray and eat together. Camel race, desert safari, gathering to inhale hookah are some of the pleasure activities taken up by the Arab population. The Arabs have a big heart when helping the poor and needy. Role of women The women population of the Arab countries is considered equal to their male counterparts with regards to education, inheriting property and working. Years back, women were not allowed to attend schools and were married off at young age. The Koran was the only source of knowledge for these women. Arab women are not allowed to expose any part of their body to strangers and are expected to wear the abaya and veil to protect themselves from strange men. An Arab woman is expected to fulfill all duties of a wife and mother. The status of women is different in different Arab countries. A Saudi woman may have to follow strict Islamic rules whereas in Oman, Bahrain, UAE, the rules may be more lenient. With the passage of time and technology, the government has taken up initiatives to show their women power to the global world. Educational institutions, universities, scholarships, high profile jobs, freedom of speech are some of the efforts taken up by the government. (Comparative Cultural Pattern, 2006). But in the Western society, women are more assertive and dominant. They exercise equal rights as men, and both, women and men have equal rights to property, education, interaction with others and leading a lifestyle of their choice. Women mostly wear fashionable attires made exclusively by designers, and branded cosmetics and accessories also form a part of their personality. They do not regard smoking, drinking or gambling as bad and indulge in it quite openly. Women of the west are career oriented and hence seen most of them traveling around the globe for official purposes, CEO s for MNC s, popular actress and singers, ruling countries and many more. The Americans are considered very energetic and good leaders. They are open minded and always ready to learn and adapt to new cultures and developments. No wonder the western culture is called the modern civilization. The westerners say Arabs are not achievement oriented and failures at work are mostly considered as fate or desire of Allah rather than reinforcing themselves to do better. Today, the Arabs are open to gain knowledge, adapt to the changing work environment as long as it does not conflict with the Islamic rules. Sense of brotherhood can be felt among all the Arab workers. Punishments at work may be severe if the wrong doings were against the Islamic principles. They do not accept zakat (interest) for their employers as it is considered against their law. (Affourtit, 2006). Scientific developments, innovations and research methodology are fields in which western nations excel when compared to the eastern nations. Conclusion: When we look into the way of living of the both the cultures they seem to be poles apart, but when we study deeply we see that one religion has evolved from the other. Islamic practices have evolved from Christianity before Prophet Muhammad. Ibrahim for the Muslims and Abraham for the Christians are the same characters in the religious books. Both the cultures have a single religious book when compared to the Hindu society. Both the cultures abide by the rules of Mecca and the Vatican City. The geographical borders may have separated them to different directions but deep inside they all are the same. It may be said that both the religious have similarities and differences, and yet underpin each other. As discrete religions, both Christianity and Islam have their strong points which need to be emulated even by the propagators of other religious thinking. It is necessary that we need to imbibe the good aspects of all religions, whether Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism or Hinduism, in order to make us better human beings during our lives on earth. Works cited. Understanding culture and cultural differences. What is culture 14 Dec. 2007 . Religion in the cultures of Middle East. Culture a rich mosaic. 2002. 14 Dec. 2007 . What is western culture Western culture global. 2006. 14 Dec. 2007 . Affourtit, Thomas D. Comparison of motivational characteristics. 2006. 14 Dec. 2007 . Comparative Cultural Pattern. Arab Culture. Chapter 9. Role of Women, Relational Orientation. 13 Jul. 2006. 14 Dec. 2007 . Read More