Give some reasons why different cultures can make me a better person.?

Question

I live in Germany and I've been to many many different places in Europe as an American in Europe. I have to write a paper about why different cultures (such as European ones) have helped me and how they will help me in the future. The only idea I've had is that it's given me a different perspective on life.... but I don't even know if I can fully explain why. Do you have any ideas of how different cultures that I've experienced can help me in the future?

Answer 1

If you have learned German, that will help you not only from a practical point of view but in giving you an understanding of how another language works (German is a more inflected language than English). The balance between work and leisure varies with the country. Spain, for instance, attaches a good deal of importance to relaxation during the day, although that may be changing. That could make you reflect on what you yourself value in life. You could think about why Goethe is a characteristically German writer and Whitman a quintessentially American one. Goethe was far more learned than Whitman in many areas; Whitman approached American experience directly. Europe values tradition much more than America. Could America use more tradition and Europe less? Henry Ford, whose passion was cars, said, "History is bunk." I lived in England for years, and that gave me a new understanding of English literature. Understatement or indirect statement and irony play a larger part in English conversation than they do in America. Why are Americans more successful in business? Are there fields where Europe is more innovative? As you go from one country to another in Europe, the language changes; in America it does not, though the accent is different. Is the European Union capable of evolving into a federation as the United States did? It seems unlikely at present. How would you assess the quality of personal relations in Europe and America? Several European countries have a publcly-funded health service, so that often one does not pay for treatment in Europe, except through taxes; America generally works through private insurance. Why is that? Is Europe less Puritan than the United States? These are some questions you could reflect on.

Answer 2

Having done some travel, I've seen that in many countries, trust is much more pronounced than it is in the United States. For example:
In some places in Korea, parking is at a premium. A person may park behind you, blocking you in, but they leave the keys to their car, allowing you to move both cars to get yours ouit.
What I've found is that some places simply have much higher moral standards, to the point that they are able to trust others. That simply doesn't happen in the United States.
I've also witnessed the way so many Americans act in other countries, expecting that simply because they are American, they should be treated better than everyone else. It really makes me sick at times.

I've learned that on the World stage, I'm not better than anyone else simply because of where I was born. I have only one person to think about, and that's me. The way I'm treated may initially be due to the country of origin on my passport, but in the end, people will respect me or not, based on my own actions. People of other countries can be models, showing integrity and trust; they can show me what they feel is importatnt. I can use these lessons to become a better person or not ... it's all up to me.

Answer 3

To some degree yes, but it all depends on how you look at it. I travel and meet different people and it's not the culture that make me a better person, actually is the situation and my experienced that change my life.

Answer 4

Learning about different cultures makes you more tolerant of the differences!

Answer 5

more worldly seeing more makes you know more of all others not just your little part of the world--thats why rich people like to travel and experience things other than--Mike A is choking his chicken AGAIN!!