Mirror for Man: Actions and Thoughts Follow Culture :: Mirror for Man Essays

In a world where everyone has experienced the alike(p) poignant life experiences, such as birth, helplessness, illness, old age, and death, it is incredible to conceptionualise of the number of ways that peoples can go through these events in life. It is about common that their attitudes and responses ar influenced by their environment and society. As Clyde Kluckhohn had explained in mirror for Man, the best explanation for any human action is the concept of last. One cannot clearly define this idea, but through the comparison of 2 different groups of people hopefully one can better perceive the meaning of culture. By comparing Vietnam and the United States, two very secernate nations, one can see the force behind the concept of culture in shaping peoples lives. In terms of education, the similarities between the two countries are few. Both aim at improving their peoples lives, and yet the method in which this is achieved differs greatly. Vietnam, a small country with a larg e population, has to propose do with the lack of technology. It stresses hard work earlier than the use of cars. Children are support to do math mentally rather than depend on calculators. As a result, the Vietnamese people do not consider it a sacrifice that they should lead a hard life. Also, their education emphasizes morality rather than independent thinking. Therefore, most Vietnamese children would never think of leaving their families sooner marriage, unlike the Americans, who would leave for college right after high school or move out of their parents house to live with friends. The Americans would as well as prefer to make their lives as easy as possible, which fashion that rather than adding mentally, they would turn to an adding machine or a computer. Their two ways of thinking differ as a result of different education methods. One can also see how culture causes people to be different in their make styles. In Vietnam, it is acceptable to wear clothes similar to pyjamas out in the street. Yet in America, one cannot do this. One has to dress properly, which means that pyjamas is worn at night and to bed only. However, it is incomprehensible to the Vietnamese wherefore the Americans score to dress so well to go to sleep, wherefore they have to wear nightgowns or pyjamas with fancy designs. They do not understand why it is important to put on a robe when one take in breakfast.