This idea is not mine, it comes from a YouTuber who publishes critical videos on current events: link
We’ve been raised and educated in cultures that value the question to get to know each other. It’s not like that everywhere. In Japan, it’s very frowned upon to ask questions at every turn. People cultivate a certain modesty and refrain from asking questions.
If You Are Looking For Depth In Your Relationships, Don’t Ask Questions
Questions tend to make conversations trivial and superficial. Not asking questions allows you to have a more fluid and almost poetic exchange with your interlocutors. It’s a matter of practice, but it’s not so hard to get there in the end. When you completely refrain from asking questions in a conversation you reintroduce magic and a little mystery.
The Question Is A Very Aggressive
To ask a question is to ask for something that someone doesn’t necessarily want to give us. It’s an extortion, a hold-up, which is why it’s ultimately quite awkward to ask questions. We don’t want to undress, to reveal ourselves most of the time, everyone wants to protect their secret garden. To ask a question is to enter this garden with a bulldozer of sorts.
You Can Always Have Answers Without Asking A Question
When people travel to a different country or culture, they often encounter ideas and practices that seem strange or unfamiliar. This can lead to feelings of cultural shock, or a sense of being overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity. However, while it might feel intimidating to venture into unfamiliar territory, traveling to different countries or places can be an invaluable opportunity to explore alternative perspectives and view things from a different angle.
By taking the time to think critically about the values, beliefs and customs of the culture, travelers and people living in a foreign culture can also start to reflect on the cultural values of their country of origin. This reflection includes the possibility of rejecting certain practices or customs they may feel are inappropriate and recreating their own culture with customs and values that they can actively stand behind.
Recreating one’s own culture doesn’t mean jettisoning all of one’s old beliefs and values. Instead, it’s an opportunity to take these values and adapt them more to fit with present and future realities. There are several ways in which one can do this.
Firstly, engaging with a new country or culture can be an important source of learning regarding different practices, beliefs and values. This can be done through talking to locals, reading about the culture, or engaging in other types of activities like festivals, classes or excursions. Taking time to learn about the new culture and its values can help to create an understanding and appreciation of both the country of origin and the culture to which one is now exposed.
Secondly, engaging in activities like music, art, or sports can be a pathway to gain greater clarity and knowledge around what values and practices truly resonate with one. No matter one’s place of birth, engaging in activities that reflect shared human interests can allow travelers to remember what really matters to them, such as values like kindness, empathy, and justice. Taking away meaningful insight into one’s own cultural life embodied in activities like music and art can be an important way to start creating a culture that is more reflective of one’s own values and beliefs.
Finally, carrying a sense of open-mindedness, curiosity, and willingness to learn can help create a sense of cultural respect. This kind of attitude can allow one to learn from the best aspects of different cultures in order to evaluate and replace certain practices or customs they may feel are inappropriate with an alternative that is aligned with their own values.
Ultimately, choosing to reimagine and recreate one’s culture is an individual journey that should be taken with respect to the new culture and without disregarding values and practices that might be beneficial to one’s life. Through engaging in a more thorough exploration of the world and being mindful of the values and practices of one’s culture of origin, travelers can make meaningful changes to their own culture. This is a journey of understanding and adaptability, and a pathway to cultivating a culture that is more reflective of one’s own beliefs and values.
