What is "culture"? | A question you have to think about before communicating with foreigners

I have some thoughts of my own on "culture".

I find it difficult to define or describe "culture" itself, because it is so abstract and difficult to understand.

But "culture" can affect all things in life and express them in those things.

Some carriers are concrete, visible, and metaphysical; some carriers are abstract, invisible, and metaphysical.

For example, food can be a part of culture, clothing can be a part of culture, language can also be a part of culture, and festivals, concepts, aesthetics, lifestyles, ideas and concepts can all be influenced by culture and can be used to express culture.

Different countries have their own unique cultures, and they are all trying their best to export their own cultures to the outside world.

The United States exports American culture, not only American dramas, Hollywood, Western food, but also the idea of equality, freedom and democracy; Japan's export of Japanese culture, not only animation, craftsmanship, Japanese food, but also the traditional etiquette of old and young...

It is estimated that it is related to the outflow of a large number of high-end talents. China has also strongly realized the importance of cultural export in recent years, and has begun to emphasize the cultural concept of "Chinese Dream" in all aspects.

The country distinguishes foreign cultures through the establishment of local culture, hoping to create stronger cohesion and cultural self-confidence for Chinese people. At the same time, it also hopes to attract more talents to the outside world by spreading the charm of local culture.

There will be cultural gaps between different cultures, and this cultural gap is not only superficial but also ideological. Therefore, in many cases, it is difficult for people from different cultures to understand each other.

The formation of culture is a slow process that takes time to accumulate, and it is the consensus of a group's life. This process can also be understood as a kind of "inertia of life", which can be expressed as a kind of "inertia in living habits", for example, Muslims wash their bodies with clean water every day and then pray; it can also be expressed as a kind of "inertia in thinking" "Inertia", for example, most Chinese believe that the Spring Festival is a day for family reunion.

Once a culture is formed, it is a habit that becomes natural. People living in this group will accept the various realities of the moment. They don't need to explain the reasons to them, and they will no longer ask why.

Aesthetically, culture is not good or bad. Different cultures will develop different aesthetic orientations because of their unique geographical environment.

But in terms of vitality, there are strong and weak cultures. An inclusive and diverse culture will have stronger vitality than a conservative single culture.

A single culture is conservative and firm, and new cultures are not allowed to breed: homosexuality is not allowed, and strange clothes are not allowed. I remember when I was a child, when I spoke dialects in school, my teacher had to pick off the little red flowers.

A conservative culture can certainly improve the purity of its own culture and not be influenced by other cultures, but it hinders the development of new things, which will affect its own competitiveness over time.

Diverse cultures will be richer, and new things and new ideas will be more inclusive and even encouraged. In such a cultural background, it will attract more and more unique ideas to take root here, and over time, more new things will sprout.

If you have to make a metaphor for "culture" and "the role of culture", you can probably imagine that there are many magnets scattered on a plane. These magnets are the main body of the culture, some are fixed to the ground, some can be moved back and forth.

The process of different cultures gradually becoming stronger is the process in which those "fixed" magnets continuously attract small magnets around them, and then grow from small to large. (In the end, it may be linked together and become a cultural community)

Ordinary people can rarely stick to their own unique "culture" and stay in a certain position. Most ordinary people, as an unconscious little magnet, may not realize that they are constantly moving back and forth by some cultural influence.

Maybe when you suddenly realize you have some unexplainable habits and beliefs one day, you will find that it is "culture" that plays a role in us.