Choose To Be Human Essay, Research Paper

Humans did not choose to be different from one another, they did not choose to have different cultures and they did not choose to speak different languages. Long ago, when first humans were evolved on this planet, forces of nature and desire for better food, forced humans to spread all over the planet Earth, losing touch with their previous roots. With time people formed groups that would help them survive and provide better conditions of living for themselves. Each group developed their own words, which later formed a language, to help them communicate with each other. Every group developed their own traditions and beliefs, to help them live together. Groups encountered with one another but it was not enough contact between them to form the same language or the same culture. Through time some groups split, others became extinct and some had combined evolving their language and culture to the higher level. This way was formed our multicultural planet Earth.

Until recently all educational structures taught their student to look at the world through eyes of Western Civilization. Even today there a huge disputes about what cultures should be taught in educational institutions. Such disputes have no place, especially, in country that is a melting pot of different nationalities. Every culture in this country should be represented equally in all Universities; multicultural education should be available for anyone who desires to learn it. Donald Kagan dean of Yale College in his essay Western Values Are Central believes different and he states, It is necessary to place to place Western civilization and the culture to which it had given rise at the center of our studies, and we fail to do so at the peril of our students, country and the hopes for a democratic, liberal society (392). His idea is to place Western civilization in center of studies in all-educational institutions, because it stands for democratic and liberal society of the United States. Kagan believes that we can represent all other cultures through the study of Western culture, It s flaws are real enough, but they are common to almost all the civilizations on any continent at any time in history (Kagan 393). What he is saying is that all civilization cultures and history is similar enough to Western that we can omit studying them and concentrate all cultural studies only on Western civilization. His convictions are wrong, because each culture has assets that are not found in any other culture. As all culture have a common experience that they had encountered in one time in history or another, they also have different experience that is only seen in one culture other then Western. Leaving such experiences out would be the same as neglecting all the studies done in math, physiques, chemistry and biology, given to as by brilliant minds.

Henry Louis Gates, professor of humanities at Harvard University, in his essay It s Not Just Anglo-Saxon points out After all culture is always a congregation among different voices (Gates 389). His idea is that as long as we can communicate with each other and understand each other culture we all can live together sharing our knowledge for a common good. He also said, Our society won t survive without the values of tolerance, and cultural tolerance comes to nothing without cultural understanding (Gates 389). He is saying that for people from different background to live in one society takes tolerance of other cultures. Living peacefully and working together in country as United States can only be possible if learning other cultures is available to everyone.

As a student in on of the most diverse college in this country, I can state from my personal experience that with out understanding others people culture; I have problems getting along with people of other nationalities. I sometimes do not understand my classmates opinions and reactions to the professors ideas. I often do not understand my classmates point of view at all, and I think they fell the same way about my points of view. That makes it really hard for me to get along with people of other nationalities. My believe is It s common to human nature to avoid or hate what they do not understand , this is why I hope I can learn as much as I can of other cultures; so I won t hate my classmates because they think differently.

Hopefully one day there would be a common culture, culture where people will not be hated and persecuted for their believes, color of their skin, their nationality or their social status. Creating such a common culture requires study of all cultures; allowing needs and believes of every individual be equal among others needs.