Day 65 - Sea Day - Culture

One of my personal goals for our Ultimate World Cruise is to experience, learn and hopefully understand some of the many cultures encountered around the world. With the Americas portion complete, now is a perfect time to reflect on lessons learned so far. 

For those following closely you may have noticed a bit of confusion and slight shift in opinion. That should not be a surprise as opinions are generally based on experiences and experiences have been bountiful this trip. To better understand this shift let's examine the importance of culture and it's relationship with society.

First, what is culture? Is it found exclusively in cultural centers boasting exhibits of arts, crafts and other physical products of society? Perhaps a more representative source are those including the performing arts like song, dance and theater? Is another potential means of experiencing culture found on tours featuring local foods, history and architecture? If the above is true, culture has tangible elements that can be collected, put on display and experienced directly by others. Is culture really that superficial or is there more?

There are many definitions of culture, with the most famous 1871 version from Sir Edward B. Tylor stating “Culture… is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society". From this our understanding of culture must be expanded to include the intangible elements of knowledge, beliefs, morals, laws and customs. Is culture really that complex? If so, does this make culture impossible to identify, quantify and compare?

In my opinion a more realistic representation defines culture as a community's shared values, beliefs and customs that continue and become generational with time. On a less optimistic note, that also makes culture systemic in that it passes throughout a community regardless whether the impact is beneficial or otherwise.

Now we have something identifiable, quantifiable and comparable. The process is to simply identify a cultural element and determine it's impact on daily life and society in general. In doing so, one might want to consider if the element is beneficial. Are the fundamentals of life including food, water and housing more readily available and affordable? Is the community safer and conducive for raising a family? Is the quality of life sufficient and enjoyable? Is life more fulfilling? Are there opportunities for advancement? Are opportunities available to everyone? Are conditions improving or declining? Would I want to live there and raise a family?

I find comparing cultures not only fascinating but enlightening. Which societies are improving and which are declining? What factors are driving the direction? If the direction changed, what was the driving force? Does the culture contain a generational systemic belief dictating a direction? What is the historical source of the belief? Which beliefs hinder society? How can they be eradicated? Should they be eradicated? Have many of the same cultural issues infected our homelands or have we just become complacent and decided to accept them as normal? 

These and more questions will be explored as the Ultimate World Cruise continues.