LANGUAGE: Significance to our culture and Society

LANGUAGE: /ˈlaNGɡwij/

Language is an essential component of any civilization. It is how individuals interact with one another, form connections, and foster a feeling of community.

Language is a crucial feature of communication, which is a fundamental component of every culture. As language evolved, distinct cultural societies used sounds to construct collective understandings. These sounds and their related meanings grew ubiquitous throughout time, and language was established. Intercultural communication is a symbolic process that constructs, maintains, repairs, and transforms social reality. Language is one of the most challenging hurdles that people from diverse ethnic origins confront while interacting. Check out the infographic below to see how language has changed over time!

Ethnicity, gender, geographic region, religion, language, and many other characteristics all contribute to one's cultural identity. Culture is described as a "historically transmitted system of symbols, meanings, and standards." Knowing a language allows someone to immediately identify with people who speak the same language.


SOME OF THE TOPICS WE COVERED IN THIS PODCAST

• The significance of the English Language
• How does history affect the languages of the countries
• Why do people opt to learn a second language
• The internet connection to language
• Cultural Biases
• Cultural Barriers

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Transcript

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I'm laughing because we have chickens, as you well know. Yeah, I've got them about a year ago or so. Yeah. And I speak to them and the three little chicks that we raised from the beginning, they have names, and I call them and they understand their name Bill COMM When I say their name, I don't care where they are in the yard. Come running, it's like, and they'll stand next was like, go eat and they'll go eat. So yes, they understand to their their intelligent. Welcome to attitude of altitude podcast presented by planet of one, we're sharing stories and conversations, encouraging and empowering listeners to Be bold, take action and be your best self. So we may be the change we desire to see in this world. Know that your attitude determines your altitude in life. Welcome to the podcast. So obviously, this is limited structure, and then we get better. Yeah, I mean, we can always find someplace to put stuff but, you know, I am fascinated by language. And this is kind of a good segue, because how we were speaking about this before is that when you're brought up, and I would say most other countries, you have to learn a second language. Right? I mean, as far as I know, almost everybody I know that's not from the United States has to learn two languages at least. Or at least they don't, maybe they don't have to. But so it is a requirement. I remember, as a child in Lebanon, as soon as you got into grade school, you immediately had to learn a second language. It was Arabic and either French or English. And it wasn't like, Oh, it's a requirement if it was the norm. Norm, yeah, you don't even think about it, because that's the norm, you take both these languages, and there is no fear in it, because that's what's expected out of you. So yeah. I wonder where the exceptions are. But I feel like majority of people that I know, that are from other countries, either had to at least take, like you said, you have to take at least a second language, you'd have to be fluent, you just have to take another class. And that, or in some cases, we're very highly encouraged to be fluent in another language. And generally, it's English, because the majority of the world even in, like, I have a lot of students teaching at UCSD. And they're all from all over the world. And I get a lot of input from them. It's really great, because so many people are from different countries. And one of my Indian students from India, said that the majority of the websites we're in were in English, because there's so many dialects in India, it's hard to unify them. So they say, Well, just everybody knows English. So go there. Oh, that's really fascinating. But in a lot of cases, a lot of people that I know come from other countries, they have to learn either the neighboring countries language. Which brings me to a point here. Often, if you think about it, a lot of countries in most of the world, neighbor, one another have borders that are kind of cross between cultures. And the United States is so large, that I don't think they have that opportunity except in the borders of Mexico. Meat, right. But But of the North, it's Canada, in Canada speaks English, with the exception of a few cities. Yeah. So the, there's no real incentive to learn another language when everyone's speaking English. And the borders are the only place where you have to deal with it, but you're free from Minnesota don't care. Right? It's because the country is huge, if you think about it, but I would think the same thing with like, China or Russia, where there's, you know, where do you barter, you're in the middle of atlases. So there's nobody around you except anybody who speaks your native language, or the languages that are in within your, your country, like in Chinese case, like Mandarin and Cantonese, right? So I'm always fascinated by that if you go through Europe, or even the Middle East, like, there's borders right there. I can't imagine what like Morocco, or turkey you go through because there's so many borders of other cultures. There's like Greece and like this is the Persian Empire is like right there. Like there's so many things going on right there. So I you know, I don't know you're given that your family is from there. Did they have to learn English when they were younger? Like your parents? My mom used to teach French she learned French because the French ruled Lebanon for so many years. Yeah, that was part of the norm that you have Arabic and French. Then later on English got added because also the British Empire Yes, went through Lebanon for a period of time. Yeah, but both these languages were always available for people to learn. And, like I said earlier, you don't think about it as part of being in school as you take both these languages, and most of them that actually go through all the way to college, they ended up majoring in that second language, which isn't called the second language, it's the language that they're learning, because you're automatically going to be learning Arabic as part of the culture of being in Lebanon. And then the second language is a part of it. Right. And I've always found it intriguing. Honestly, the countries that do speak English, because it does uniform the world, in being able to communicate better. Sure, we can speak any language that we please, that comes with whatever region, whatever country and so on, but having a uniformed language, also, at the same time, is really impressive to be able to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world. Yes, I agree with that. And from my understanding English is one of the hardest languages to learn, in that context, because of the tenses and all the things that are going on with it. My college girlfriend was from Laos, and still is from so full of friends. But her brother one time was trying to teach me Laos he goes, you just have to know the words, you don't have to know, tenses. If it's like I go to the store, you don't say I went to the store, you just use tomorrow, or yesterday in your sentence. You know, there's no implication about where things were or how they are except the words you choose to put in the sentence. So I found that for kind of fascinating, I mean, it's a tonal language, which is hard for me to understand at the time. Because there's different tones mean something completely different. So high versus high, I can mean something different than loud, in a lot of our a couple of the Southeast Asian countries. But I'm always fascinated, like, how does that develop? One in for two, again, when you're encouraged to learn a different language, is it because the country just came in what in the past took over, or you have a neighbor, like, in the case of like Austria, for example, they're next to Germany, so maybe it's just easier for them to learn German too, because it's a bigger culture there or something. And then English, because for a long time, I would say England, France, the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, were very much about exploring, call it that. And, and going into other places, and, you know, developing that type of stuff, so that that whole the European continent pretty much was like very much like, outwardly expanding and therefore, kind of put the planted their seeds in a lot of different places. And that's why a lot of places like where you grew up, and and you have a lot of friends of mine that grew up with other countries, they have to learn English, or the other languages mentioned, either English, French, Portuguese, what the Brazilians or Spanish? Yeah. When did you think about it? That's like, a huge, a lot of people speak different languages. And I'm always fascinated where that comes from. It's interesting, you're saying that because now you brought to my brain, that the Turkish Empire also ruled Lebanon for a long period of time yet they don't speak Turkish any Lebanon, they just French and Arabic and English. Those are the three main languages. So why the influence didn't become also the Turkish but yeah, well, maybe because Turkish Turkish, also is now speak English. Because of the trading around that, I don't know, I have no idea. I'm not I'm not a historian or anything. But like, the turkey, I would say, a turkey probably has a lot of cultures embedded just because of where their neighbors are. Sure, the majority of Turkish but like, is a bunch of other people that are kind of invading that area, or at least infiltrating on some level, maybe not invading per se but you get a bad area has Middle Eastern influence, and they have African influence, Greek, all that stuff is kind of there. So they probably had to learn a unified language as you said earlier, where English was the easiest way to do that. I don't know if it's English 100% talked about Turkish friends and family in advance. But aside from that, like I feel like that's the unified language just got easier, like you said, so they, they think about it. They're like, well, they keep your own language or Arabic. Probably more so Arabic actually. And, and because I have forgotten All people who are Turkish also speak Arabic. So maybe that was the unified language that was there. So we don't have to, you don't have to learn our language. You know, we already know yours. Is the French were like, I don't know, a lot. Speak French. A lot easier to learn languages as kids. Yeah. Oh, when you were, you're when you are younger than, as you get a little older, because you don't think about it, you just learn it, you pick it up, just pick it up. We were talking about your child and you picks up language. Right now. You're gonna be English for between one and twos learning all that I mean, even earlier, Ilaria. There, Matt. But I've noticed the development of her languages between one and two. And so now she's two, she could speak. They will be coming very soon. But she could speak sentences and ask questions and understand what I'm saying when I say certain things. So she totally gets it, you know, so. And that's amazing. This little creature can pick up all that stuff. I mean, you're teaching them to some level, but just by communicating, they learn it and pick it up. Right? Even my cats pick it up. They don't, they can't speak back to me. Well, they know what I say. So Oh, gotcha. Yes. Right. It's like without even me necessarily training them on certain words, like, yes, some words mean certain things to them. But if I say go over there, like, they do it. Because they know that I'm like, I don't want them or where they're at that moment was like, Hey, I mean, you know, I might do that. Or like, oh, sorry. I mean, something. Somewhere I shouldn't be. So I listen to what's going on. And they pick up on it. I'm laughing because we have chickens, as you well know. Yeah, I got them about a year ago or so. Yeah, yeah. And I speak to them. And the three little chicks that we raised from the beginning, they have names, and I call them and they understand their name, they'll come when I say their name, I don't care where they are in the yard, they'll come running, it's like, and they'll stand next was like, go eat and they'll go eat. So yes, they understand, too. They're, they're intelligent, really? Yes. Oh, they do that, you know, it's that's fascinating that the chickens do it. You think of them, you know, lesser life forms and stuff like that. But they understand they get certain things, they're not gonna be able to a conversation with you. But they get certain trigger words, and they understand that they're having a conversation, we're just not understanding what she's saying. We just stand here, look at her. It's funny, because as you look at languages and kids, there's no fear. And I think that's one of the things that gets into us as we start to get a little older. The fear that stops us in a lot of things, even in languages, kids have no fear, they don't care if they're going to make a mistake, they don't have those thoughts within them, till we begin instilling some of them into we do Yeah, and you're right, because it becomes kind of like a xenophobia or something like where you're afraid of things that are foreign to you. So you stick with your own for a long time. And I'm not saying everywhere, it was like that. But even as you're brought up in schools, grown up in the States as I have, you don't start learning other languages until later, you're gonna get into Spanish or French, or the I even took a Latin class. But it's not encouraged when you're early grades, like little words, here and there. Now, I went to a private school before I moved to Massachusetts, my father enrolled me in a private school when I was very little, I was like, 25 years old. At the time, at the time, you know, at the time, public and private were like a big deal. Now they have all this different stuff with immersion schools, but, you know, I'm in my 40s. So it's, like, years ago, right. And they, I remember, they encouraged multi language learning. So I learned songs in French, and how to count in Spanish. So, you know, I, so they, I think they were trying to groom people to speak different languages they grew up, because they knew that the time between four and six, you know, you pick up so much and absorb so but I still remember the things now. And I'm, you know, this is like 40 years later, you know, so, but I feel that the schools here, like you said, they're kind of like, you know, the I feel like the adults kind of fear certain things. Like you said, we've kind of put that on the kids, whereas the kids would love to learn or be immersed in certain things, and try new things if you teach them that. It's funny. Culturally, I grew up with multi types of cultures and my background for one of the two, always to be open minded. Right, but regardless, I didn't grow up with a lot of like other types of people. When I was a kid because it was some little town in Massachusetts. So that was primarily Portuguese, white, black, like, a little bit of Asian people like for that I do, you know, and then and then, you know, then I mentioned my, my high school girl was from your home, she's like the only Iranian I've ever known in that place, she probably will hurt her mom are probably the only one, at least within a certain radius right? Now, okay, but college is completely different, right. But when I talk to people that grew up, especially when they grew up in California, depends on who it is. But a lot of them are exposed for some reason that they don't, or maybe it's just, maybe it's not where they grew up, or like, what how they grew up, it's like, they weren't encouraged to try new things. So I have to get them to try new things. So people that I knew, I can think of a couple people off the top my head that I'm like, they didn't ever have sushi in two languages at all. Or they didn't have certain foods or they wouldn't eat a certain thing. Until lives are just until, you know, it's like, there's some weird fear. Or if you're not used to eating certain things, you only eat this particular thing. You don't want try new stuff, why? And so it's unfortunate, because you can learn so much from each other, just by the food, let alone talking to people and being open to what their experiences are. But just the food wise, that would help you understand something, at least something about them. I think that's so neat. My nephew was taking the Spanish class in college recently. And he loves the professor. And it's someone that we're going to bring onto the show, the way that she taught them Spanish, is by allowing them to do a lot of different projects within the class, about the culture about different aspects of it. So you're learning the language without thinking about learning the language because your mind is occupied in doing the project, learning about the culture, learning about the different aspects of it. So she brings in the cultural part and open mindedness at least that's what I understood from his conversation. Yeah, and allows them to learn without specifically going you need to learn Spanish, you need to learn these words you need. And you could tell that he thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it and really excelled at it. Because it wasn't focused on simply learning the words, but actually getting immersed in it, which is basically what you're saying is being open minded and learning and becoming a part of something, all of a sudden opens up your brain waves and your ability to actually absorb it even more. Yes, word of that fear. At least that's how I see it. No, no, I 100% agree. And I think that's what it is, you know, I think the advantage that people have to have neighboring countries could go to another country and be immersed a lot easier than it would be for someone who's in the states that would have to find the family to hang out with, you know, you know, rather than just go to a region and be like, Well, I'm here, you know, we're gonna have to adapt, you know, like, go to Europe, I have to govern Italy. I'm with Italians, you know, and, and so I yeah, I totally agree. That was, what you're saying is how I kind of got used to it. You went to USC for undergrad, right. And, and I had never been there and, and I met my first year, people from almost every country could think of those countries I've never heard of, you know, when I grew up, I never heard of where Sri Lanka was. And then one of my office flat with a column called people that are in the same building as dorm, dwelling use leave room in the dorms, like diagonally from me was a two guys, one of them's from Sri Lanka to get the most from Bangladesh. I never heard of either one of those countries. And then they were very open as I was, because I and I was another thing is not to be afraid to ask questions. So there's a couple of things that have to happen. The people that are curious, I've never been involved with you have to be open to going into air and then not being afraid to ask a question of somebody that you don't know, or they're not familiar with. And then the people that are receiving them, have to be open to that the fact that they don't know and not shun those people. Because that's what happens is that a lot of times people go into walk into a place and they look down upon because they don't get the culture and the rules. And so one thing happens versus another, they either are afraid, or they get ostracized and picked on or whatever those things are. Whereas, you know, my experience again is college was the opposite. Obviously, they're in America, but they were in Los Angeles where USC was but I would ask them questions about their culture. Hey, shrill I never heard it sure, like a workers head. They're like, Yeah, I'll show you everything. The guy had a map. And then you show me where it was he was big land island of Indians, right? They're like, Oh, no, he's showing me all this stuff. And then, um, then when I got introduced to them, they hung out with other people. So a lot of their friends were from like South Asia, Southeast Asia. So I got them from Pakistan and Burma, and Laos, and Thailand and Vietnam. And so all of a sudden, I had this South Asian Southeast Asian conglomerate of people that I was hanging out with, and I was like, the token American guy there. And I, and even me, I'm like, multicultural to begin with. So they had the there, whatever versions of America was inside of me. You know, I wasn't just the, you know, the English guy. I had other stuff, too. So. So yeah, it was really kind of interesting. And, as you said, you when you're immersed in it, you kind of learn from them and pick up things like habits or certain things or way to eat food. And like, you know, just, you have to kind of adapt, I got to the point where I would go with my Sri Lankan friend, I went to one of his temples one time for a class actually. And, and then they had food, and I was eating like they were. And one of the guys asked me, he said, You from Sri Lanka. Know, he's like, Oh, well, you're eating like us. I'm like, Well, yeah. He wasn't used to people outside was being open to that. The neatest thing about what you did when you asked with curiosity, yeah, you weren't asking because you were attempting to make fun of them or anything like, that's rude. You were curious about them. And we have such an opportunity within our world, to begin that process of teaching, from the beginning kids about the variety of places, and the variety of cultures that are within our world. That in itself opens up so much leeway for people to be a lot more understanding, kinder, and a lot more open to each other. Because I remember when I moved to the States, I spoke very, very, very little English, even though I took like a year or so in Lebanon, after before we were coming when we knew we were moving to the state. But still, the words that I knew weren't much as I got here. So when we got to the states, and I began learning English, there was always this fear, or this thing that's running through my head, as they're talking to me, as if they're judging me or making fun of me, you know, the way that they would ask stuff. And I don't blame the kids, right? It's something completely new to them. And new culture, someone who talks differently, looks different, and so on. So we have such an opportunity, as I look at it, to begin to actually emerge. Emerge people into different cultures. On purpose. Yeah. From the beginning, through our schooling, especially now with the internet, where you can reach Oh, yeah, in the world. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to take kids through classes in various parts of the world so that they see how others live, how others think how others speak, and really begin that journey of allowing people to become a lot more connected? Yeah, that's ultimately how I look at it. Because you feel so isolated, when even is just the language barrier. It isolates you in some way. So taking that away, would make such a huge difference. Yeah, it's really difficult, as you said, with you, when you're going into a place where everyone else is one way and you're the other way, or you have something slightly different about you, and then you walk into it. And it's like, and as you said, kids can be kind of cruel, in some cases, or they or at least not intentionally, they just don't get what I'm saying, I gotta walk away from you. But you have to teach that, that that's not sensitivity. And that's a thing I'll touch on in a minute, but, but more of like, the empathy, or at least just ask, you know, hey, what's going on with you? You know, hey, do you want to try this? And there's some things you can you can do beyond language. I remember this kid who ended up becoming one of the popular kids in high school, but when we were in grade school, I don't know if you remember this. There was Carlos said he's from Portugal. And he was no one was talking with him. But I'm a different looking kid anyway, too. So I like him up to I was like, Hey, you want to play And he would say some ball ball. Yeah, oh, he won't play ball. So we got it was like into a recess because it's raining or something. And we were playing he and I were playing a little basketball and I was like, I don't know, second grade or something. You know, but I just moved there from California to Massachusetts, about a year ago. So I understood what it was like to be the foreign kid. Except I understood the language. But that was kind of the idea. I developed empathy by being that I had that and I also looked different. I'm multiracial, so I don't really fit in everywhere I go, because no matter who I'm a, they always think Barry's funny enough. If you and I are hanging out there, probably they were siblings. Yes, because we have the same hair. Same kind of skin tone, you know. And so, but and there's some advantages of that now, but back then not necessarily, you know, and, but there are things you can do that or even beyond like, that's why I'm always like, I love that's why food is such a great thing. And music. I think food and music are the great the best unifiers in terms of crossing boundaries and barriers. Because if you get at least appreciate that you're then open to hearing more about what's going on with other stuff. If you don't say, Hey, I like I'd like some foods that are this, you know, try this dish grain. Let's talk Okay, come over to my side for a little while, hang out with me. Here's how we eat it in like ultra. Hey, why don't you come over here a little bit further. This is how we we dress and like culture, Hey, over here to them. That's how we speak and then all of a sudden, you're now open. It just allows some kind of gateway. You know, I mean, I don't want to make it as big and superficial. But that's the first thing people react to because they can all relate to taste. We can all relate to sound. Right? Because visuals. They're just a shell. Right? But if I can pay somebody who was good? Yeah, right. So my culture does check this out. You know, like, oh, I need to know about your gorgeous like a boy that food. And then it because it starts that way, but then it opens things up a little bit more. You know, hopefully you don't trivialize it be like, Oh, I only want to eat Doritos. And I don't want to talk to you about Spanish stuff. But that being said, you know it. I think it's a great introduction. That was one thing I learned, even in college where we had like a multicultural table of food. And people brought their own dishes, their own traditional dishes from their country, because they escaped from their freshman year of college, you know, wherever they were played, but they brought their own stuff to some of our functions. And that was amazing. Like, I get so many things, you know, that I want to know about more about them anyway. But that was a great introduction. Like, you have great food at your square. We're gonna get more of that. What word do I have to learn to understand how to get back? And that's a great conversation starter is to you said, Yeah. And as you begin talking about food people open up like, Oh, let me tell me about it. Yeah, all excited, excited, for sure. And as funny, as you said, when you get immersed in the culture, you have to learn certain words to trigger certain things that you like, right? So as you said, when we have a teacher was teaching, it was more immersive, because they're not like, Hey, you have to learn the language. Like to get this water bottle, you're gonna have to know agua in Spanish, right? So you have to kind of understand what that means. Like, oh, how do I say water? Okay, holder of the Agua. And then you start understanding a little bit more. And then you're that you're not, you don't have to you want to at that point, you're not forced to you're not doing it for a test. You're doing it because you want something that's happening with the thing that's going on there. And I think that's the way that's the way it really should be. Shouldn't be tested MF like, we should probably not grade learning a language. You only mean like, you take your oil or I got an A in Spanish. So what? Yeah, like it shouldn't be like, though, just I learned how to say these things in Spanish, I learned how to communicate, you know that she shouldn't even be agreeing. Just be like, this is part of the thing. I agree with you. I agree with you, because it's so much bigger than that grade level that they're giving you. It's opening up your mind opening up your cultures opening up so many ways for you to communicate, and now actually connect with a whole range of people. Right? So those grades, I'm not much on grades to begin with, because it doesn't allow the opportunity for someone to really delve in and learn. And I think that's why I love when they teach the arts and music and all of it because it opens up people to connect in a different way then being graded or having to learn a specific something, right? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, that would be a really good concept to introduce. And I'm sure there would be volunteers in different communities that would say, hey, you know, I'll teach you by language to whoever's interested, you know, once a week or whatever it is, and, you know, then the way you don't have to be, you know, volunteer work. I mean, it doesn't have to be part of the curriculum, it could be just a recess. And then we have language immersion, you know, or cultural immersion, maybe just more. So culture. And then part of the culture speak in the language. So you start learning different things in every, I don't know, every month you switch switch to the next one, or maybe every year you do I don't know, I think it'd be so nice to do stuff like that. Yeah. Especially on the internet, again, being so available to be able to drop in anywhere in the world and have someone teach directly from where they are. Right? You could teach a whole bunch of classes to a variety of places. Yeah, you can reach Yeah, like how we're talking right now. I mean, we're in the same city more or less. But still, we could just do a zoom and get on a call, I don't have to drive all the way up to where you are you all the way down here. And and vice versa, you get like someone in that actual country could be teaching you that. Right? They can use AES, we're actually talking to someone that's in Spain right now. They're like, Yeah, this was one of my meal looks like, you know, we just pointed to like, here's what we're eating today. You know, this is where my family is what we do in the morning, and the afternoon, we do this, and even when we do this, so that would be really great. I think that should be like part of everyone's curriculum across the world, I actually am going to give you credit, because when you're teaching your classes, to the universities, I've noticed that you are really great at allowing the cultural part to become a part of how you teach to the variety of students. Oh, yeah. Well, that I think it's a neat trait to have, as we do business across the world as we do a variety of things. The way I look at everything is how do we make this world a more connected place so that people are kinder people are more understanding all of it. So even this did this that we're talking about? If people begin to simply stop for a second go, how is this impacting me? And how is it impacting someone else? If I'm asking them about their food, if I'm asking them about their language? Am I coming from a curiosity perspective? And really looking to learn and understand? Or am I looking at it from a perspective of shaming them? Because judging language or judging or any of that stuff? That's a completely different aspect. And you do such a great job with the variety of students of making them feel welcome in your classroom? Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you for saying that. And I do strive to help with that. Maybe not as actively as I think, but I think I naturally do it that way now. But it was a challenge when I first started teaching, because I will you write to different people. So I'm like, How do I relate to them? You know, thankfully, I went to, again, a school that was I have friends from everywhere. So it wasn't that hard. But it is it's important that they feel comfortable. And so even if they're not out of their element, or they're not really understanding everything, I want them to feel comfortable enough to talk about it. So the first step is to do that is to ask them about what's going on with their world. And empathize with them. Like, Hey, okay, let's talk about that. Oh, that's interesting. Let's, where you from? Great. Let's Oh, my gosh, I say something that I know that relates to them. And not just like, I eat spaghetti, because you're from Italy. is easier. The food thing again, goes, Oh, it goes so far. You can't just be that, you know, so. But you know, I have just come to life experience from talking with people enough. But but it I think it's really important. And to be honest with you, I love the fact that we have differences. I love the fact that we have all this variety was like a variety is the spice of life. You know, I always find it bizarre when people don't want that. Or they want their own way are they to shame you into thinking a certain thing? Like just ask the questions like it's fun to get to know each other. I'm glad you're different. Yeah, but everyone's like me, it would be terrible. As much as I like myself, I don't want everyone to be like me, it would be boring. Yeah, I wouldn't learn anything. You know, you want people to be you know, a little bit differently. The mindset should be similar in terms of being open, loving, not causing people harm, and just trying to understand one another. But the rest of it is, let's go down the path of all of a sudden you're going through so I'd rather have a variety of like I said, I find it bizarre when people don't want variety. If it wasn't for the differences, people wouldn't travel anywhere. Why would you travel for travel to see the variety of cultures The food's and the mentality and everything else, otherwise you right? Everybody would be the same. And truly, who would like to live in a world where everyone is the same? Nothing there nothing to do nothing. Yeah, you wouldn't learn anything you wouldn't grow. You know. So I think that, you know, I think on some level you have to, and especially with even just people of your own culture, let alone then you learn other different cultures and get expanding outward into that. And we have the ability, like you said, with the internet, and we travel is now it's easier, you know, back in the day, you have to go on a horse and buggy. Now, it's like you take a plane somewhere you're now against, I could dial somebody up on the internet, not even dial just like, I'm connected to the internet. Like, I'll talk to someone in Sweden right now. You're able to do that. Or you have family in your home country, you could talk to them. Like if they have internet. It's all connect tonight. Okay, great. What time is it there? Well, the time is always different, but they can still get online and hopefully is not three in the morning. But um, yeah, we live in a very grateful I'm very grateful for the world we live in now. We're so interconnected that we could just not even where we are now, with our with our laptops and stuff. But devices we carry with us around, you know, these rectangles we have in our pockets. Here are and wherever you keep them. You could literally do that. Well, what's this from? I want to learn from this place? Yeah, we'll go to Turkey today. And you totally do that. It's fascinating. You know, I don't know, I could get into whole, like land wars and disputes and all that other stuff is gone. I can also talk about like, canceled culture, like there's a lot of a leg better peripherally, potentially related to that. But that was like another hour talking about those things. But what's still running through my mind when you were speaking earlier. And you mentioned that you moved from California as a child to the East Coast. Yeah. And you could feel the difference. And you're right here within the United States, one country, one nation, one language, and you can still feel the differences even within neighborhoods. Yeah. People need to take the time and the opportunity to open up and really get to know the person. It may not be a language to start with. But it might be the nuances of that area. Yeah, yeah. Like, I was born in California, technically, but I have family in the East Coast. And when my mother's from the East Coast, Massachusetts. Now when I moved to Massachusetts, I was I was going to school in California. Matter of fact, I skipped a grade, the education level was different. And they I was, I guess, toot my own horn here, a little too advanced. I was just they put me in second grade, eventually, I was in first grade at the time. But when I moved back, my grandmother became my caretaker was like, you're already young, my birthday is in the summer, June, essentially. And it was already late. For your first grade, I would have been really young, I would have been like a five year old in second grade. So she was like, I put you back where it gets with your own age where it was for you that I had a hard time. And I'm grateful that she did that. But again, like you said, there was a difference between the cultures that I was an urban environment in California, I went to a rural environment in Massachusetts, which is literally, you can almost get get and much further away than those two spots in Los Angeles. And then Boston area, I'll just say Boston adjacent because it wasn't Boston. And I was in a small town or a large town. So I went from this urban area to a rural area. And then like you said, culturally, there weren't, I didn't know any Mexicans, in Massachusetts. Whereas in California, you're right next to Mexico, you know, but in Massachusetts is one of the Portuguese population. And it was a lot more of that culture there. So I understood that more in the whatever culture was living there, obviously, but so just like you said, those two areas are enough differences to try to adapt. Thankfully, we have a similar language. But think about how countries are if we were divided into countries, and that's just that was a country, you know, from a tribe actually level where the American tribes are live there that I'm from, and they speak different languages. So it's like, you can get a whole different experience just by going somewhere it could be like you said the same language same, but not the same culture. Right. So that the same culture there so I had to learn I have to adapt. I had to become friends and it took people to go hey, I still remember the kid who did that you want to play as a friend of mine named Kevin, and use the first person to come up to because I was sitting by myself, you know, say you want to play? Okay. Yeah, of course. But then that opened things up, you know, now I know their family and all the families. And so it's really, I don't know, it takes someone to reach out. And for the other person that also reach back up or go for Yeah, like, take your hand and let's go on this journey together now that we're together, you know, it's just take each other's hands and show each other know and feed one another and listen to our music and then ask them questions. I think it's all it takes. For me, I remember the first year I was in the States. There were two people three, actually, and one teacher that made that difference that they reached out and made it all more than okay. One of them was a young lady that happened to be in my gym class that became a great friend. She stood behind me and supported me in a lot of things because she's on her own. She paid attention. Yeah, of the things that I was noticing I was uncomfortable with and then the English as a Second Language class, where there were two other kids from Israel in there were in the Middle East. They don't get along, maybe. But definitely in the States. We got along. Yeah, it was great. They were my best friend. We couldn't speak completely, but we could get along. And then the teacher herself, who made us feel welcome. Little, she would welcome us into the class, and just made you feel like you're the number one person in that room. Yeah, that made such a big difference in that first year, in allowing things to just continue to move forward. Right, right. Yeah. And that's kind of what that kid did for you by asking you to come and play. Yeah, yeah. And you're right. I think also teachers were the the instrumental part of that as well, people that are very empathetic and caring to the new people that are there in a tribe. But that's great that you had the variety. That's funny that you say that the people that were there culturally, if they were in their own respective cultures probably wouldn't get a lot. But because they're both pirates are completely new. They're like, whatever our differences are doesn't matter anymore. But that's the key. Actually, Alan, what we're talking about for people to open up is to allow that bit of let me give me your hand and let's move forward. So as we look at our cultures throughout the world, and a lot of the differences that people point out their differences in what makes us unique, right, opening it up to allow the person to come in and see it without judging it. Yes. The key? Yes, yes. I, I will stand by that statement that you just said. Because without judgment, that's a really key important thing that you have to come across. When you're trying to understand somebody you want to come across. You don't I don't believe in watching your words, per se. I believe in the asking, genuinely. And when you ask genuinely, your words naturally come off as hey, I'm interested, I want to know more. And you're not hopefully you won't be judged back by what you're ignorant, you know, or you don't know, you know, if they're judging you back, then you don't talk to those people. Right? They're jerks, that crosses all cultures. And good people do too. So you have to kind of go okay, well, if you're coming from a place of warmth, and unrest, and trying to understand and natural curiosity, then people don't feel then they feel less guarded. And I had that happen with racial cultures. Within the United States, or cultures from outside of the United States, or gay, lesbian, transgender, what didn't matter, I met a lot of different people who explained certain things to me, and in a lot of cases changed my viewpoint. Because my original viewpoint was only from the outside of not knowing what's going on there. And even though I was fairly open minded kid, I still had biases. And that's why we have to understand that people come from these long line of biases, that they have a good use of now they're exposed to everything in the universe, and through the internet. And they have then they have that then what happens is that you get into this filter bubble on your searches you I'm only looking at things that are important to me. And then when you're forced into a cultural change, or even talking to a neighbor, that's or someone right next to you that all of a sudden is something different than what you thought. Then when that happens, what I encourage is Don't shut it and don't run away from It, you know, ask what that's like for them. Even if you just natural curiosity, and you have to go, what's it like it write down notes, so whatever. But you know, just ask them, whoa, that's interesting. You know, in chat and share, share your experiences. And if they're interested in they're good people, you'll develop friendships I've asked that I had, I have friendships from all walks of life, everything I just mentioned, people that are from different married couples that are gay, and, you know, everyone from different parts of the world, in within the United States, and people from different parts of that and different places they grew up with. And the common denominator was that they were open to my questions and or comments, enough to teach me and vice versa. So that's what it turned into. Oh, okay. Now. And, again, it changed my heart completely changed my mindset. I mean, you know, I think I was on the right trajectory. But it would have took me a lot longer to learn the lessons, I learned those four years that I was in the university, and not from classes. Because definitely not from the classrooms. No, I don't think I learned anything. You got what you needed out of college? Yeah, exactly. Just call it like that. That's exactly how you put it got what you needed out of college Exactly. For that said, for me, the best part in moving from Lebanon to the states and going through the time periods, is learning to put myself in the other person's shoes in mentality. It seemed like where are they coming from? And that takes a lot, takes a lot to be able to go, how are they judging me? And why are they judging me this way? Or what have they been exposed to? Or not exposed to? Which is even bigger? Right? That's what are you exposed to? As I began to do that, through the years, I opened up, I became a lot less judgmental. Yeah, some of my biases began to go away. And I began to see a person as a person, like, they're talking to me, because that's what they've seen. Right? Right. That's what they've understood. Yep. So switching it around and being in their spot, and even going to the point of intentionally not taking it personal, as much as I can. When they are speaking that they're not speaking to me. Right. Even they're talking to me, but they're not speaking to me. They're speaking to wherever they are in their life and what they know, out of their circumstances. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, that's such an eye opener and changer of how I associate with people. Yeah. And sometimes, people will think that I don't put enough boundaries in the sense, but I'm really have so much boundaries in breaking down the boundaries. Yeah. Yeah. You kind of have to. Yeah, that's, that's how I look at like, how else am I gonna get to know the person, the person is gonna be given the opportunity to open up and learn? Yes, yeah. And if your hearts there, then it's like, well, that is my job to reach out with my hand and say, Hey, I know you're saying a lot of stuff right? Now. Why don't you take my hand for a little, I'm gonna show you something, and then pull them towards you a little bit more. And then they Oh, okay. And then maybe reluctant. But eventually start understanding that. And because you're offering your hand, you're not offering a fist. And I got, hey, let me think, Hey, you want to and remember some of yours. Like, it'd be kind of fun? Or whether it you know, we're breaking certain barriers. And it's really important for the people that understand that, to keep that in mind. Because, like you said, everyone's coming from their own cultural biases. You know, I think the term racism is thrown around a little too loosely now. Because of this, because it's just a thing you just get people accused of, and I think it's more cultural bias anything. They just don't know, like you said, they don't know what they don't know. So they have preconceived notions of other people. And of course, you get some people will just react and hate it. But for the most part, most people want their own thing be left alone and Miko with each other and you asked 90% of the planet, they just want to eat, be around loved ones, you know, maybe a little internet here and there. You know, that's all that's all they care about. They don't want anything else. I don't know if I put internet as my top choices. No, I understand what you're saying. I made my living off of it. So that's how I got so I need a little bit off of that. But that being said, you know, it's like, even before the internet, it's it's family, you know, the hierarchy of needs taken care of food, shelter, family, you know, they just, those are the center pieces. If somebody wants a little more here and there, but for the most part of the center, what they want is that, and so if you're able to talk to them on that level, and relate to them on that level, they'll be more open to whatever it is you're going for. Right? And that's where it becomes now we're bridging the gaps, because we're sharing a common experience, you know, with life. That's the real common experience, but they don't see it that way. So you got to show some other things. Alright, here's my food. Here's how I live. Oh, and then you get into the sociological stuff, as well. I was brought up a language, etc. So I think that that's why it's important to, to relate to people like that. If you have the ability to and you're surrounded by what I would consider ignorant statements. You kind of have to be like, Okay, that's interesting. You say it that way, and do not judge me. Let me let me ask you a question. Or let me share something with you. Or let's talk about that. And not even in a way that you're accusing of anything. It's just like, it's not about that. It's an interesting point of view. And then then eventually, because you're open, they're like, Oh, yeah. It means but we're in high school. Like, you're cool. And I was like, Okay, thanks. She's like, No, no, I don't know a lot of people that are basically I'm also black. You know, she never really had a black friend. And I'm not even dark. You know, I'm like, light skinned. I was invited, like Barisan because I'm only like a quarter African. But um, the, the, she's like, Yeah, she was like, so fascinated by that, because we got like, all these levels like that she had never had been fun enough. Fast forward, she had married a black, dark guy. But it was just like, I guess I was the bridge to that. opening her up a little bit, you know, and so but we were just friends. We were like in high school or something. But it's just really fascinating when people get to that stage, and they're just not exposed to the right person. And you might have be your case, the right person, for a lot of people. Because you're open, you open your heart. Like you said, You'll put the boundaries of Well, I'm not. I don't have boundaries. You know, most people don't even want to get to know all. They don't want it. They never asked him. That's why I'm here. I show you what you want to see. And I'm also wondering where you're going. So I let you in? Yeah, you can't do much damage to me. I don't have any boundaries. Keep walking all you want. There's no fences you can break. Right? Where's the fence? There's no fence. Don't worry about it. Because you're me and on you. And we're all connected. Yeah. Unless you're trying to hurt me. Yeah, then, then I'll keep you out. But otherwise, if you're not trying to hurt me, then we're good. Yeah. Now it took a while to arrive at this state of why I am sure. But I'm so grateful for all the background. Yeah, allow me to open up and become exactly what I am today. And I see what we're talking about, even for relationships for companies really opening up that communication, and really coming from an understanding perspective for things to actually begin to alter. Right. Yeah, for sure. Which is where a lot of the breakdown happens, even in today's world with all our incredible technology that's supposed to keep us connected. And I know we say that a lot of times when we talk, but they're not the connection piece. We are we are that's a great point. Yeah. So yeah. And you have to actively seek those things that is automatically connected to the people you have connected good intentions. Yeah, exactly. Right intention. The right intent. Is that looking for some way to mess with them? That would be funny if like you get online but you can't get on the same website every single time you have to go to their for Well, I have this one's in Turkey right now. Or this one's in Spain. Like, Oh, I gotta learn Spanish today. I can only interact with Spanish now. Thank God for Google Translator. So yeah, exactly. Exactly. This has been great. I think our audience is definitely thinking. Yeah, absolutely. I would be really curious anyone listening to this right now that what is their experience in either crossing cultural barriers, friend barriers, if you are from another country, and you're living in another country right now, or if your parents are your first generation and your parents are, that's the other thing I learned, like when people's parents are from the new generation, they don't speak the language as well. So they have to communicate through their children. And so, you know, but it's cool. It's kind of neat that they do that in on and I find that you're like this conduit that like kind of helps bridge certain things. So if anyone has anything that would love for them to write in, or comment on the website, or anything, it'd be really, really helpful to hear what you have to say. Maybe we'll get you on the show and talk about it. That would be amazing. Thank you guys for joining us and we will see you next time for another great conversation. See you next time.