Family Cultures

I have a question for you, a deep and thought provoking question: Are all cultures equally valid? Your first thought might be to jump and shout "Yes! Of course! Who are we to say whether or not someone's culture is valid?!" I have to say that when this question was first leveled at me, my initial reaction was to defend all cultures and their "validity". When I stopped and truly thought about it though, I realized that it takes a little digging to understand the question and in turn, the answer.

First, we have to figure out the meaning of culture. Google defines culture as; the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. This is a pretty general and sturdy definition (obviously). Now, we need to know the definition of valid. Google defines it as; having a sound basis in logic or fact; reasonable or cogent. Now, we are a little more equipped to answer the question, yes? Think on some of the "cultures" that you are apart of. Whether it be at work (a culture of dedication), in your family (a culture of faith), or within your friend group (a culture of recklessness), think on those cultures and ask yourself; are they valid?

I am sure that many of them probably do hold some validity. If your family prays every night together or attends regular church services, I would say that your family culture of faith is as valid as it comes. However, what if your family culture is one of abuse? Whether it be verbal, physical, mental, or any other kind of abuse, is that ever valid? Makes you want to shout like we did earlier, right? Except rather than shouting "Yes!" it would be an emphatic "NO!" Abuse is never reasonable or based on sound logic, and yet there is plenty of it happening all around us. Both in family cultures and in national cultures around the world. 

An interesting example of a maybe-not-so-valid culture within a nation could be ancient Egypt. I love the Egyptians don't get me wrong, but in their ancient culture there was some "interesting" traditions. When a pharaoh died, every possession that he had in this life was buried with him so that he could have them again when he was reborn. Those possessions included his servants... I don't know about you, but no matter how much I like the leader of my country, I don't want to be killed and buried with him. Now, you might be thinking, "but that's their belief! You can't tell them that what they believe is wrong!" That's true, I am not in any position to tell someone that their heart-felt beliefs are wrong. Although, the children of those servants or the mothers and fathers of those servants definitely have a say in their own culture. And I am sure that they would shout with another emphatic "NO!", It is not reasonable to murder someone's beloved family member because of a tradition that someone decided to start. 

Thankfully that tradition didn't last long. But let's ask ourselves again, is every culture valid? I hope that you've begun to see that both family cultures and national cultures, are not always valid. In some cases they are quite harmful to us and those we love. Which brings me to my second and last question: What family/ national cultures are you hoping to keep in your family? And, what cultures are you going to get rid of in your family? Okay, that was 2 questions, but, I hope you do seriously take time to consider them. I think back on my family and there is a lot of great traditions that I would love to pass on to my kids! I can also think of a few that I would never want to be a part of my family culture. Whatever the case, I encourage you to make the changes you think are necessary!