Culture is an Adaptation

[Lee Miyoung]

I believe culture are connected to everything that is wrapped all round us. So I thought about culture as adaptation. because the environment can change a culture. For instance, confucian tradition has been at the heart of the lives of our people. and it is based on relationships between people and society. so Korea society still has a rigid age hierarchy. I think this is rooted in its Confucian past. for example, the Korean word for "friend," "친구“ by definition exclusively to people who are the same age as you. If you don't use appropriate honorifics in Korean society, you will be considered impolite. But in the western countries, they seem to treat all people alike irrespective of age.

[Clara Park]

I like your expression: culture is everything that is wrapped all round us and it's an adaptation.
Also, I agree the idea that our surroundings can change the clulture.
On the other hand, I think that culture which already exists in certain society can sometimes change its surrondings.
So they are interelated, interwoven and intermingled. What is your opinion about that? *^.~*

[ICC Grace]

I absolutely agree with your reply, Clara. I think we are the cultures! We look different, we act differently, we think differently. Our history, our geological surroundings are totally different from others. But now we are living in a global world. World is becoming closer and smaller. The whole world became interelatd, interwoven and intermingled more than ever. In some way, we are sharing the same culture. A few days ago, I saw some special documentary about K-POP. I was shocked by the flash-mob dancing and singing in America and Russia. They were dancing along with our Korean Pop music. And they were so into our pop and madly in love with it. Isn't it amazing? I think that is another kind of cuture, too.

[ICC leeyunseo]

'Confucianism' is definitely based on our culture. Once meeting a person, you are likely to ask his/her age in order to decide how to take action. It's all about confucianism i think.

[Jason M. Ham]

Is it hard for you to adapt when you enconter a culture that does not place as much important on age?

[Lee Miyoung]

No, It is not hard for me. but sometime, there are moments I feel some of them are really impolite.

[ICC_yuri]

I like to say their name instead of 삼촌, 외할머니, 작은엄마 because I sometimes forget their name and I don't know my far relatives.
Korean parents live as mother and father without calling their name. When I call my mother as "정숙씨", she likes called her name.