East and West

In an earlier blog we posted the question -- did the western culture put more emphasis and adopted the instincts of individual preservation more than the preservation of the species -- even if just a tad more? Could it be that in the those early period of man's existence the west and the east went on their seperate ways, with the west becoming more individualistic?

Although, I was born and raised in the Far East, I would say that the western culture is very much ingrained in me; what with 400 years of colonization under Spain and 50 years of occupation under the United States. Not to mention that the country is still very much under its social, political, and economic influence. I am therefore blessed or confounded, or both, by having both western and eastern culture as the background of my mental form.

I spent the first 40 years of my life in Asia -- my place of birth; the next 20 years in North America; and now, I plan to live at least another 20 years in South America. So, one can say that I carry within me both what is "good" and what is "not so good" from both cultures.

Some Personal Observations
Here are just two obvious examples regarding what I consider the difference between these two worlds. Go to any restaurant in the west and you'll find people ordering individual dishes for each individual. In Asia, people will order dishes that will be shared by everyone on the table. Of course, this is not possible eating at McDonalds.

In the west, people will refer to their homes as "my house"; in Asia people will say, "our house". In the west, people will say, "my doctor", my lawyer", "my dentist", "my school", etc. In the east, people will say, "the doctor", "the lawyer", "the dentist", "our school", etc.

Communal Ancestry
But, it didn't start this way. Humans in the past, way past, were communal. They did everything together and shared everything. To survive, the family or the clan were given more importance. Hunting in groups were more efficient. Then, came the period when it was the individual who became more important. I am sure, that in the near future, both society and the individual will be equally important. More than that, I am certain that the human being will be given the highest value. And when that time comes, no human will be above another.

In one of the earlier blogs, we asked, did the eastern culture put more emphasis and adopt the preservation of the species ahead of preservation of the individual?

I guess the best people to answer this question are the Chinese and the Indians. These two countries' population alone adds up to about 2.5 billion -- comprising 40% of the world's total population.

But, when exactly did the separation occurred? Did it have anything to do with the separation of the farmers and the herders? Did the ancestors of the western culture opted to be herders, while the ancestors of the eastern culture became farmers? Or vice-versa? Did it begun the same period when the "West" became configured? Is this also the period when man started developing the concept of time in terms of productivity?

To be honest, I really do not know the answers to these questions -- but I have faith that the answers will reveal themselves as I go forward on this trip of rediscovering the root of revenge.
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