Cultural Inheritance

Cultural inheritance is the storing and transmitting of information through communication, imitating and even learning and teaching. The process of transmission of the information relies on the brain but not the genes. The genes usually help in transmission of other material that pertains to the genetics of human beings.

Cultural inheritance can be experienced across the borders. This is crucial because, as people interact with each other, there is a tendency that they may copy some aspects of other people’s culture, and which are positive. However, cultural inheritance does not only include the transmission of desirable information. It can also entail the negative aspects of the cultures involved, depending on the adaptability of the people on those aspects (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 50).

Additionally, cultural inheritance entails both the tangible and intangible aspects of a culture of people, which are passed from one generation to another. It is imperative to preserve the culture since it defines the true identity of a group of people. The identity of the group of people is another important aspect (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 50). For instance, when people are readying to take over the leadership positions in the community, cultural artifacts come into play. In some societies, in fact, this even forms the basis of their vetting process. The leaders tend to evaluate how well and to what extent those people are anticipating to lead the community had conserved the culture.

Cultural inheritance is a unique aspect that cannot be replaced. It is a great responsibility that the future generation usually gets endowed with when it comes to the preservation of the cultural artifacts (Paul 4). There is a sure way that can be used to preserve the culture of a group of people, and it ensures that culture is there to stay, even for thousands of years to come. That involves the preservation of items of culture in the museums. For example, there are items that show the way of life of the generations that lived before our generation (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 50). The small items like artworks and other masterpieces of culture are preserved in the museums for future reference. Usually, these items are represented as art galleries. However, there is a big question regarding the way this aspect can be inherited to future generations.

Cultural inheritance is obstructed by the growing trend in technological advancements, whereby, the new generations attribute little or no significance to the past ways of life. Usually, this is because modern technology has a lot to offer, and when the people in the modern society compare the two phases of life, they adopt the current trends in technology due to many reasons (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 50).First, the early life of human beings was indeed tedious because people used to take a long time to perform their daily endeavors, while in the current generation, tasks are performed with a lot of ease and also, efficiency is not compromised.

Cultural identity is composed of many elements, some of which are corresponding to the way people feel when they belong to a particular group in the community. In the world, there are numerous groups of people, and each of those is composed of people who feel proud to be part of the cultural diversities. Cultural identity is crucial in the contemporary world because as the world tends towards becoming a global village, people from different cultures interact, share ideas, and also they exchange various aspects of their cultures (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 50).

Human beings are social beings that always yearn for companionship and acceptance in the global village that is taking root in contemporary society. This is the main reason why cultural inheritance finds a lot of significance in any generation, whether it is in the next ten or twenty years. Therefore, it is clear that this aspect of cultural inheritance is there to stay, and no chance for its extinction is prevalent.

Moreover, cultural inheritance incorporates the beliefs and customs that are associated with a particular group. In addition to that, cultural inheritance entails the values of people. The cultural inheritance of various individuals in society is very diverse, and this is because of many factors, some of which are beyond one’s control (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 53). For example, cultural inheritance depends on the location of that particular person geographically, and cultural inheritance is dependent on the socio and economic circumstances of the place of origin of the individual. Equally, inheritance relies on the era in which a person is born. Indeed, this had been a significant aspect that helps to define the true personal identity of a person clearly.

The era in which a person is born and significantly raised helps to define the cultural inheritance of that person. Culture depends on the merits of that specific times that a person is born and raised

The place of birth of a person dramatically influences his or her cultural identity. Additionally, what matters most in this scenario is the practices and norms that are dominant in such a culture, and therefore, merely the physical location has no impact in shaping the true identity of a person. For example, there are those people who were born in a culture that is dominated by norms and beliefs that relate to the western culture (Cavalli-Sforza and Marcus 52). Usually, they tend to adopt the western culture and the values they gain in life are far much connected to that. The other category of individuals, for instance, those born in the community that is dominated by the eastern culture, will always adhere to the acquisition of values, norms, and beliefs that are related to the eastern culture. Usually, this is evident because each member of the society has a different perspective of the world.

While it is evident that the birth of a person is a significant determinant of the quality of life of a person, that is not the case. It is a false impression because cultural heritage of a person at the youth stage also does not play any role in shaping the identity of such a person regarding the culture that is prevalent in the society in which he or she lives. On the same note, the circumstances of a person’s social heritage do not form the basis of assessing the cultural inheritance of such a person with regard to the direction and opportunities that are imminent in his or her life. There is quite an excellent example of individuals who, by their own mean, charted courses, that none of the society members ever imagined that they are founded on their cultural or social inheritance.

Those individuals who managed to overcome the hindrances to become notable in their era include the likes of Pope John Paul II. Their cultural identity is indeed admirable and was admirable because of the way they approached the aspect of cultural inheritance. Here, the bigger picture is that cultural inheritance can form the way for various perceptions by the members of the society, and actually, ethical values are expected to be passed from one generation to another.

Cultural inheritance can be integrated into each individual’s life in society in different ways. There is, therefore, no specific way that determines how the aspect of cultural inheritance can be incorporated into the lives of the people in a given culture. However, it should be noted that not all aspects of a culture can be inherited by a person.

From the novel, “borders,” the aspect of cultural identity is very clearly articulated. For example, the novel presents the characters who are related to family composition. Here, cultural inheritance takes the dimension of the child learning some values in the course of interacting with her mother. It is anticipated that good values can be passed from the mother to the child, and this will really define the future life and socialization of the child. Actually, the character of the mother who is described in the novel, “borders,” has a lot of pride. It is not surprising to find out that one or all of her children have the same quality. Indeed, Laetitia shows this character, as pointed out by the narrator of the novel. There are many instances that pride can manifest, because, the cultural identity of a person is not something that a person can hide from the rest of the members of the society (King 136).

As the narrator points out that trait in her mother from the incident in which they were supposed to go visit Laetitia, she also admires that character. Naturally, she claims that she will have it too for it is an excellent quality to have. Indeed, cultural inheritance stands out to be part and parcel of every life. Usually, as long as the members of the society do not see any form of negativity arising out of a given element of the culture of a people, they ought to inherit. That cycle will continue until the future generations also adopt the same traits. Cultural identity is not subject to any form of judgment because every person has a different way that he or she views the world.

There is another instance of cultural inheritance that is dependent on the aspects of the country that a person interacts with. In the novel, “borders,” there are two contexts that are presented, for instance, the Canadian and American cultural contexts. As the family crosses the border, they meet a woman who is curious to know the citizenship of these visitors (King 137).  It can be concluded that various states usually wish to know the place of origins for them to be aware of the cultural context of the people, which later defines the identity of such people regarding their course of interaction.

Another aspect of cultural inheritance is the religious beliefs which also form part of the cultural identity of a people. Leticia gives an account of the place of worship in the new land that she went to live, Salt Lake City. The place of worship referred to as the temple forms parts of the religion. Religion usually aims at shaping the values of a person, pertaining to the way people ought to relate with each other (King 134).

Additionally, a particular identity of a person in a cultural dimension may be given up because it appears to be boring. Moreover, that will be evident when it seems obsolete, depending on the nature of exposure of a person to other cultures. For example, from the novel, “the borders,” Laetitia really feels bored when she is at her home place. The reason for that is very crystal clear. Virtually, she had gone out of her homeland and realized different lifestyles that have become part of her cultural inheritance portfolio, and upon comparing with the life that is witnessed at home, she claims that life is boring at home. This is evident when the narrator of the novel states that they were watching the television and abruptly, Laetitia turned it off, for she had decided to go back to Salt Lake City (King 137).  It can be pointed out that she was adopting a different aspect of cultural identity.

Cultural inheritance is often affected by the socialization of human beings. This refers to the way people move from their places of birth and thereafter, come to meet different people, from different backgrounds. There is a need for a keen consideration of this so that the negative aspects of the people’s culture is not copied. Therefore, there is an excellent call for the prior generations to ensure that they portray the positive aspects of culture so that their future generations can inherit in the course of their interaction.

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