Cross Culture

Few days back someone asked me, “Oh, you and your husband belong to different cultures? How did you manage? “What does culture mean to you?” And my answer was a Bowl of Salad... you can have a green bowl of salad with a normal dressing or you can have a bowl of fruits, more colorful and pleasant.

With the surprised look, the person stood there in front of me for a while and then made his way towards other guests after a while, it made me smile and think at the same point, that was it really a big thing that I belonged to a different culture. (After all these years of marriage, the question raised lots of questions in my big head and small brain!!!).

Culture can be defined by many words but if you really think hard, culture is nothing but values, traditions, rituals, morals, beliefs and sum of all the knowledge which is learned, acted upon and then finally shared and transmitted to the next generation by means of workplace, house, educational institutions or government.

Culture gives us and identity and a label nothing else. Culture describes in many ways how the human beings express or behave for the purpose of uniting with others. Forming groups and distinguishing them from other as unique.

When I said, a green salad bowl means (to me!!) a culture where people isolate from other and prefer to stick to their own values and ethics. For them rest of the other culture is of no value and their culture is the only one which is existing.

Whereas, a bowl full of fruits counterparts the most in word or the catchphrase of today ‘Cross Culture’. Where people from all different types of backgrounds and diverse thoughts unite and make a bowl more colorful.

It is so normal of anybody to think of others way of dressing to be weird, bizarre food habits, strange beliefs and unusual language. We find all that strange and are not ready to accept them as they are. It’s really disappointing to see that we fail to understand others and their point of views, and generally draw our own conclusions.

Why not try to diversify because to some the taste of a green salad bowl would be the best but to some it may not be?

Why not try a bowl of fruits, because culture differences will not separate us from one another, it will only bring us near to other cultures and explore it.

Cross Culture is definitely today’s ‘buzzword’, but still there are lots of people who are uncomfortable blending with one another in marriages or even a workplace.

I am happy with a decision I took , 9 years ago , a life partner who is from a different culture  , and today my son is not restricted to the only so called “ GREEN SALAD BOWL “ but enjoying "FRUIT SALAD BOWL".