About ten years ago, I watched the documentary Bébés (2010) by Thomas Balmès. The film follows the first year of life of four babies from Mongolia, Japan, California, and Namibia. The film does not contain any narration, but simply lets the images speak for themselves, depicting the immense contrast that exists between these four cultures. It is incredible to see how these four babies have experienced completely different life experiences on this planet in just one year, which will undoubtedly greatly influence their understanding of the world and life within it.
We are all conditioned by our cultural upbringing, and our culture impacts us more than we may think. According to American anthropologist Ruth Benedict: “The key differences that distinguish human societies and human beings are not biological. They are cultural.” Our cultural environment conveys to us what is right, acceptable, hygienic, normal, dangerous, safe, good behavior, etc. It shapes our tastes, influences our thoughts, decides what we learn and what we do not learn, affects our values and our social interactions. Our value system influences the way we think, feel, and act. Our cultural conditioning is what we know and often do not question. Our culture is our reference point for doing things the “right way.” It’s entirely human to think that the way we have learned to do something is the best, so different ways of doing things are often not valued. This is where a huge potential for misunderstandings and conflicts lies. As the movie Babies so well portrays, there is not only one way to give birth, raise children, etc. There are many ways to do something, and they all have their logic and reasons. What applies to different cultural norms also applies to history. We tend to judge the past according to our present standards and think that it is correct. However, as the unforgettable first line of L. P. Hartley’s novel The Go-Between succinctly states, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” So, what attitude should we adopt towards something that.
The threads of your dreams are tied
that separate the wicked habit,
all people will be brothers,
your wings will know how to unite.
I am convinced that one day we will all realize that we are part of the same humanity and that we have always been united regardless of our racial, gender, cultural, religious, social, and other differences.