Response to "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism"

 In the novel that we recently read in class, Things Fall Apart, missionaries are attempting to take over and reform a villages customs.  The village has certain customs that involve throwing twin babies into the woods.  The missionaries thought this custom was extremely barbaric but for okonkwo's village it is seen as normal.  This all has to do with how someone grew up and what they see as being normal.  For instance, in the passage, The Challenge of Cultural a Relativism, Callatians ate the bodies of their dead fathers  and the Greeks practiced cremation.  The Greeks were asked how they felt about eating the bodies of their dead fathers and th Callatians were asked how they felt about burning their fathers bodies.  Both groups thought the other practice was horrific.  What do the missionaries, villagers, Callatians and Greeks all have in common? Cultural relativism. What was accepted as a normal practice in the village and the Callatians community is considered right and normal in their societies but for the missionaries and the Greeks it is seen barbaric. There are also some cultures that women are above men or men are above women.  In my opinion, I think in theory it would be great to be able to accept other culture's customs an beliefs, but when someone grows up believing one thing and their parents push it on them, it's going to be hard to accept something that another's culture believes.  For example, I grew up in a Christian house hold, celebrating all the Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas, and attending church almost every Sunday.  For me, it is odd to think that some families do not go to church on a regular basis, or even believe in God.  It is even weirder for me to think that their are religions out there that are basically the complete opposite of Christianity.  People would like to say that they could easily accept other cultures practices, but at least for me it is really hard to picture something that I didn't grow up believing.  So basically, I do not believe it is possible for other cultures to understand another cultures customs.

Fate or Freewill?

        The ongoing discussion the last few weeks has been whether or not fate exists, or if we have the power to make our own decisions.  In the play Oedipus, his future is unavoidable. No matter what he does he would have ended up killing his own father and sleeping with his mother.  I believe this is pretty far fetched, mostly because it is ancient literature and people believed in prophecies. Then in the movie Run Lola Run we saw Lola and Manny change their and others  fates just by bumping into someone.  I don't really think I believe in either of these views.

        In my perspective, we can control what we do. I believe that God knows what direction we are going and where we will end up, but we have the power to control our own actions and control our "fate". I guess in a way, life does work like the Movie Run Lola run. I don't think it is as crazy as the movie.  If you are having a bad day, you will likely take it out on someone else.  That person that you take it out on will be upset and take their anger out on somebody else.  That third person was effected by the the first persons bad day, so it is similar to the butterfly effect.  So basically, I guess I do agree with how in Run Lola Run and how Lola was able to change her fate by making a small change.

Recently while applying to colleges, I have been debating with myself on where I want to go.  My choices are between Pitt, Temple, and Drexel.  I was most likely going to choose Temple until someone told me about a really good nursing program in Lancaster. I could go to Temple or Pitt, but then I would be paying more for school. If I did this nursing program I would commute and have a lot more money to spare.  It really comes down to whether or I'm willing to give up the "college experience". At this point in my life, the choices I make now will effect where I am one year from now, and where I will be 20 years from now.