Living with people from different cultures is a great opportunity to discover new points of view and new ways of seeing the world. Canada is, undoubtedly, a country with great cultural diversity, and this allows us to know a little about the whole world without leaving the city.
However, after more than a year of living here, I’ve certainly had some moments when cultural diversity brought with it a reality shock. In some situations, the different points of view are very much opposite each other. These are not just diverse opinions, but divergent internal values. How do I deal with people in my daily life who see, for example, the relationship between man and woman different from how I see it? Or who have different priorities on a daily basis? Or even whose religion preaches something different from what I believe?
These questions are complex and profound, but there is a simple answer: respect. When I speak of respect, it means putting yourself in the other’s shoes and understanding that the values of that person are as important as yours.
The different can be scary. I, for example, have been through situations where I felt bad for having my values attacked. These moments just made me want to go back home and avoid that person who was so different from me. But, after a while, I realized that it was just about divergent cultures and values. How can I expect him to respect me if I automatically dismissed him?
We tend to approach those who have cultures and thoughts similar to ours. There is nothing wrong with this, but we must be careful not to exclude those who are different. Living with different cultures, for me, means opening yourself completely to the world of the other and making the other know your world completely.
This can take a lot of time, but it’s worth it.
Just remember that we all have some things in common: we all want to be accepted and live in a welcoming society. We can do our part by accepting everyone in our daily lives.