I think it was a great idea to create a group for intercultural dialogue. I share the same views and interests and my whole life have been searching for possibilities to strenght my relationship with colleagues and friends from different backgrounds all over the world. Therefore, I have lived in 5 different countries and everywhere I felt myself at home. In my mind, we people are all the same, however, there are people who think differently. Perhaps it could be a good idea to take your backpack and travel the world, meet other people, learn other languages and culture and find out that, despite the language, the colour of our hair or eyes or even our skin, many of us share the same ideas and we may search for the same thing in life: happiness.
It is true, that it takes time for us people to realize that some of our ideas comes from our cultural heritage, traditions which are difficult to break, but once you have understood that and you can separate the real thing from your own personal taboos and limitations, it is a great feeling to realize we are not that different.Today I can relate to any one without any prejudice and I feel that I could liberate myself from cultural limitations. I do respect other people's culture but my solution to live in peace with everyone is to embrace their culture as well but feel free to think and act with Ethics, moved by respect to universal human rights, fairness and love to our fellow human being.Diversity is not a challenge but a gift.
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Exactly ... I also thought I was a hybrid person ... even within my own country :)
Parents coming from 2 different backgrounds, myself ... living but yet learning in different places in meeting with pple from different religious or social backgrounds
@ first ... wasnt quite happy ... and couldnt accept that but i know that its that diversity that made me a journalist
Permalink Reply by Eliana van de Craats Lima on February 25, 2011 at 13:31 Yes Thalia, some people are afraid of diversity but what they don't know is that it is diversity that makes us more tolerant and accepting of others. There were moments in my life that I felt as the Ugly Duck, but it doesn't matter. Multicultural people see the world with genuine interest, we don't care only about the local, we feel part of a much broader thing, and we welcome everyone into our world as well.
I am now in Denmark but before I even thought to visit Denmark I read about Hans Christian Andersen, a man who lived in the 1800 century but what a modern and universal thinking he had:
"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we are so used to them we call them ordinary things"...
...."to travel is to live...it expands our minds in a nice way"!
I am optimistic and I always hope we will meet other people that enjoy diversity as much as we do and still value and see the world as EXTRAORDINARY!
Yes Eliana, diversity is a gift. Like Thalia, my parents have very different backgrounds, I feel I always lived with one foot in a world and the other in another. It took me some time but I now realize how lucky I am. It certainly made me more tolerant and open to the others.
Culture, I've come to realize, is just a conditioning, some rules that are given to us as a child, to live in society. But there are only rules among others, meaning other rules may be as valid; and so we are not obliged to accept them blindly. We can learn a great deal from other cultures, and most of all, we can learn about ourselves.
It is nice to meet people like you; I am sure there are so many more around. Together, we can share our love for the human being. Yes, the world IS extraordinary ! :-)
Have a wonderful day !
Permalink Reply by Syed Shukur Ali (Shuvo) on March 11, 2011 at 3:54 Fantastic idea, I support it, you know If I get chance I go out side of Bangladesh and share myself with other culture and people.
shuvo
Alessandro Marconi joined Hanna McLean's group© 2013 Created by Arne Grauls.