Free your mind and the rest will follow
Why do people fear what they do not understand? why is it that they loathe,disrespect and discriminate against what they do not understand?
Though, I must say, not all 5 fingers on the hand are the same. There are people who are opposite of what I described.
Recently Mr.Andy of www.andymack.com posted some lovely photos of his very short stay in Dubai.. Unfortunately these pictures also included shots of a local family consisting of two ladies,thier mother and thier brother,they were unaware of his friendly lens swallowing them. To an American in NewYork, or a Japanese in Tokyo or an African from Tanzania, taking photos of women may be as normal as breathing. However,there is a long list of countries that would be so offended by this action. Including where I am from. Generally and widespreadly, women do not want thier pictures taken and publicly displayed. Men especially do not want thier precious wives paraded online publicly for the sake of tourism or whatever. As much as this may sound absurd or illogical to alot, it is the truth and it will remain the truth. We as people must learn to live with each other. Since the invention of the aeroplane and the internet, people of different races and religions are forced to face each other more and more. That does not mean we are obliged to influence or even comprise another person's cultures and traditions. What may be normal in your culture could very well be a taboo in my culture. In America, it is considered normal for a student to address his or her teacher by thier first name,is it even normal for a student to address his or her teacher with words like "Hey - Yo - ". Try doing that in many other countries in the world, I guarantee you will feel the same you incurred. Bringing Personal size pizzas to class, fried chicken from Kentucky seem to be normal in US educational instistutions. However this would be considered great insult to people from different countries. It is supposedly customary in the US to leave a tip after eating or buying food from a restaurant. Yes, even if you ordered to go (parcel) or you only ordered a simple cup of coffee at your table, you are expect to tip at least 20% of the bill. Where as in my country is it rare to tip, the only time I have ever seen people tip are at large 5-star restaurants.
Instead of trying to manipulate or change another person's traditions and cultures, why not try to understand it? If one is too retarted or ignorant to even understand, then out of simple dignity and respect to mankind and humanity, simply accept other traditions.
I feel happy though, no matter how different cultures and traditions are. I still see compassion and care exist among different countries. Thanks Andy.