Opinion

MUGERWA MARK JUDE: The Beauty of Unity in Diversity

Sharing and finding beauty in each and every culture shapes us into open-minded people who are able to become positively inquisitive about them.

Have you ever thought in depth about the gorgeousness laid in the different cultures? What is that gist that lies hidden in the different cultures? How aesthetical could it appear if each one of us loved and respected the culture of another?  Such are some of the questions that rhyme in my mind whenever I reflect on the diverse cultures that are existent in the world. I heartily appreciate the diversity and do believe that each one should appreciate this beauty rather than getting attached to only one’s particular culture. Beauty is what it is: it is itself, it is itself, unique, sui generis. 

Diverse cultures are a great treasure that ought to be respected, esteemed, and valued by each of us. I feel dismayed whenever I meet someone that is negatively held up by the chains of their culture; that is to say, one who is too proud to value other people’s cultures. Why should you insult a brother or a sister because of their culture yet we are all human? It is too irritating and I keep on pondering about where one gets the guts of turning a back against their brother or sister because of their culture. It’s very bad for one to view their norms and values of culture against the practices of other cultures. 

We ought to guard against ethnocentrism. It is not easy to transplant oneself into another cultural setting and feel comfortable at once. In fact, it takes patience. One reason for this lies in an understanding of ethnocentrism. Most if not all people have feelings of cultural superiority; they have a high opinion of their design for living compared with those of other people. Our own culture becomes so much part of us that we think of our ways of doing things as the only way. Taken out of context, any custom seems peculiar. We ought to embrace cultural relativity rather than ethnocentrism. Cultures vary widely in their degree of cultural integration, the extent to which different parts of culture fit well together and support one another.  

Functionalists view culture as a highly integrated system, each element of which contributes something to the whole. In analyzing cultures, they focus on the ways in which beliefs and practices function to satisfy basic human needs to reinforce the commitment to a social system. Conflict theorists, emphasis the role of culture in the struggle for power and privileges. According to this view, the dominant culture in society benefits from some groups at the expense of others. 

Do we even know the treasure that lies in diverse cultures? Sharing and finding beauty in each and every culture shapes us into open-minded people who are able to become positively inquisitive about them. This grants us an opportunity to navigate various cultural values and norms and in turn grooms us into loving and appreciating the diversity. Staunch love for one’s culture is not evil as long as one values other people’s cultures too. It is uncalled for, for one to be too proud of their culture at the expense of dispersing and devaluation of their counterparts’ culture. 

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As much as those granular details of humanity matter, they become our distraction towards unity. We must beware of our own cultural limitations and transcend them so as to become better each and every time. We ought to feel guilty for promoting disunity other than unity. We should not disperse, discriminate and undermine our fellows as a result of their culture rather, it would be better if we became appreciative. It is imperative that we all consistently collaborate with one another to collect full utility regardless of culture because united by the humanity brackets. 

We have to reminiscence that great ideas multiply in diversity and once put to great utilization, we are able to rise as a grand unit. Growing as a unit, we are able to build and equip a team that can tackle all available opportunities that nudge close to our stand human purpose. Nurturing great relationships builds mutual trust that can keep us as a core unit through the good and bad times. It’s our responsibility to offer opportunities to everyone for thriving through the provision of room for expression of ideas and thoughts without feeling guilty for their cultural norms. Humanity transcends a particular group’s cultural norms, recognition, and popularity. Prioritizing humanity as a unit is essential and it yields productivity, and loyalty and gives us an extra push needed to produce our very best. 

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