Introduction
Asia is considered as one of the largest populous continent in the world. It is located in the northern and eastern hemisphere. Asia was traditionally defined as part of Eurasia. This was due to its proximity to Europe. It is made up different regions i.e. central Asia, north Asia, western Asia, Arabia peninsular, South Asia and Middle Asia among other regions.
Historically, Asia can be viewed ha having different histories of various minor coastal regions i.e. Eastern, Middle, and Southern Asia.
The shoreline peripheral formed the starting point of Asian, ancient civilization. Civilization was concentrated along river valleys such as the Huanghe and Mesopotamia; these regions had fertile land to increase agricultural activities (Wielemans & Pauline 38). Thus, the communities residing in these regions shared ideas and technologies such as the wheel and mathematics.
On the other hand, the other regions such as the Central steppe composed of horse-mounted itinerants; their geographical positioning simplified their movements in various regions of Asia. The early postulants taking place in these regions was influenced by interactions with the new entrants thus the creation of Indo-European system of culture; the group moved to southern, China and Middle East, assimilating other communities with their language.
Thus, the earliest form of civilization in Asia provided a system of interaction prompting harmonization of culture in the Asian society.
This paper explores the similarities present in Asian countries. The paper points out that, most Asian countries represent similarities in terms of religion, anthropomorphism, mentorship as an educational models, linguistic, ancestor Worship, inequality and family and Business Connection among other similarities.
Religion
Among the major similarities tying Asian countries together is the Religion. Asian culture embraces many spiritual practices anchored on religion for the sole purpose of attaining spiritual awakening.
Hence, across the continent, the most mainstream religions found in most of these countries are the; Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism and Buddhism. According to Thakur (3), Asians countries embrace religion beliefs too close within their hearts, thus; they are practiced widely across Asian society. It is believed that most of these regions originated from Asia and spread across the world.
The religions practiced in Asian countries are tied together through moral teachings and practices.
Thus, across the continent, the similarities among the major Asian religions are similar though differs slightly. Besides, their spirituality and ideas have been important in giving the adherent an opportunity in attaining spiritual awakening in his or her life (Thakur, 14).
Buddhism
Buddhism is a one of the universal religion spread across Asian countries because of its propensity to strong family ties. It is coined with various aspects, but the major important of these practices found in most Asian culture is the teaching focusing on Budha (Thakur, 150).
The key aspect placed on Buddha is seeking divine revelation. According Thakur (112), Buddha is believed to be the most important human being to walk on earth. Buddha’s spirituality and teachings have altered the Asian culture as it involves meditation.
The teaching revolves around ethics and wholeness of a person. One crucial aspect of Buddhism embraced by most adherents of religion is the chanting of “Omi Mani Padme Hum” (Thakur, 125). This invocation is interpreted in many beliefs built on knowledge, patience, ethics, generosity, dedication and abandonment.
It is a common believe of most Buddhist followers that Buddha was sent to free them from world miseries and support rebirth in their souls. Thakur (151) points out that Asian culture embraced profound impulse to Buddhism religion thus; it became an extensive practice across Asian countries and across Asian society across the globe.
In Buddhism, Male and female are accorded equality in terms of responsibilities in the society. Apart from other spiritual practices which are similar among other religions in Asia, Buddhism embraces Tantra (Thakur, 165). Tantra promotes the role of women and encourages active participation in spheres of religion and everyday life.
Hinduism
Hinduism has many followers across Asia. Countries such as Sri Lanka, India, China to mention just a few, has a larger population of Hindu believers (Zhuang, 114). The religion sprang from India. Hinduism integrates Karma and the attainment of ethics in everyday life in its religious practices.
According to Zhuang (103), Hinduism is believed to have branched from Buddhism, making it one of the mainstream Asian religions encompassing Asian culture. In its practice, it is founded basing on three key factors i.e. philosophy, mythology and theology. Hindus base their faith in many “gods”, but, in their worship services, they tend to worship one god. Hindu adherents believe that the soul continues to exist even after a person dies.
Taoism
Taoism was founded in China and spread across other Asian countries. Taoism is a comprehensive reserve of Confucianism. It is a religion linking people of different class in life. Like other Asian religions i.e. Buddhism and Hinduism, Taoism is anchored on philosophy founded on Asian religion.
Taoism has three major elements which make up its spirituality. They are composed of; humility, tolerance and moderation. These elements are important in enhancing an individual wholeness and increasing his closeness to god.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism and the process of totem, linking humans and animals are well established across Asian societies. Thus, in a large proportion of Asian communities, this cultural application forms part of their cultural framework. A striking phenomenon of persuasion to many Asian countries is the dualism existing between humans and animals, human beings and the wild.
Human being is in occasion assigned animal features, and some animals are assigned human being features. In china for instance, the Chinese culture shows a link existing among human beings and animal (Thakur, 124). Thus, every Chinese, identifies him or herself with a given species of animal.
This does not depend on the clan or order is born in, but the year or season one is born. Every Chinese born is associated with one of the 12 totems i.e. the Pig, Ox, Rat, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster and the Dog. Thus, the circumstances and purpose of a human being and their totem are convolutedly connected (Thakur, 146).
For instance if a totem gets sick, the human being also gets sick, when a totem is scratched lets says thorns in the wilderness, a human being is also scratched in a similar way or the other. Human beings in Asian countries have associated themselves with totem, hence; it is strongly viewed that the life of a totem compliments human life (Thakur, 165).
Mentorship
Mentorship, as a form of acquiring knowledge, has been a historical aspect of major societies across the world. In Asian countries, this practice has been in practice has been in place for many centuries (Zhuang, 98). The traditional mentorship programs were anchored on passage, deference to the seniors as guardian of knowledge or skills, and a demanding connection between a pupil and the owner.
Mentorship occurred in various forms. For example, a child of a farmer may acquire farming skills from his or her parents, whereas a child of a fisherman would receive fishing skills from his father (Wielemans & Pauline 38). The trend has continued to grow in contemporary Asian educational systems.
Linguistic
Language has played an important aspect in human communication. Language does not change until people migrate to other locations. When people move to different locations or are separated by artificial barriers or natural obstacles, it is a possibility that they will speak differently.
On the other hand, if people speak related language with similar features, it is likely that they are connected to each other. Most Asians countries have similarities in terms of their communication languages.
According to Vaish (38), the correspondence is similar in terms of vocabulary, grammar and composition. Vaish furthers point out that language such as Arabic, Tamil, Kannada and Malayan to mention a few are made up of closely related structure (Vaish, 76). Asians languages cannot be compared with other western style of languages.
This implies that, knowing one Asian language can assist in knowing another language. For example, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese are different language families but do share similar features in terms of syllables, tones and agglutination (Vaish, 121). This element of closely related language structure can provide a basis to suggest a link for similarities of Asian countries.
Ancestor Worship
Ancestral worship has occurred in most societies even before civilization begun. The Asian culture has embraced the tradition to date. Most countries in Asia mirror this similarity. In China, there is a resilient faith and practice of ancestor worship; they consider ancestors as their gods (Blondel & Inoguchi, 123).
Traditionally, they established periods within the year where they could worship their ancestors. China has formed the Ching Ming festival, which is dedicated to worship ancestors.
The worship encompasses burning of artifacts symbols of pleasing the ancestors (Thakur, 171). The prevalence of bush fires in cities such as Hong Kong during the Ching Ming ceremonies can demonstrate the significance of ancestral worship in Asians countries. Besides ancestral worship, the practice of superstition is common in Asian countries (Thakur, 182).
This is part of Asians belief systems. Communities have an assurance that, unless a person dies and given proper burials, their souls will never forget the world. Hence, their souls will bounce back and hound the members of the family, or those who are still living.
Inequality
A huge disparity exists between men and women in Asian countries. Asian women have been viewed to contribute to economic well-being of the countries besides handling household’s activities. Historically, women have been regarded as weak, and inferior to men in Asian culture, thus; most attention and opportunities have been tailored in meeting the needs of men in the society (Blondel & Inoguchi, 97).
Recognizing men in the Asian society has created a huge social gap between genders. Women have been disadvantaged in terms of employment and respect in the society. This is linked to cultural norms and strict Islamic rules which restrict free association of women.
Men and women are viewed differently in the sense that they are different species (Zhuang, 123). For instance, when women interact with their male relatives, women do not have that freedom of freely interaction with their male first cousins without their face covered.
Besides, Social and cultural issues and legislative factors have underlined the role of women participation in the employment sector. The Asian culture comprises of social cultures, which prohibit women, participating fully in attaining full potential in terms of employment opportunities.
According to Women Living under Muslim Laws (2010) education is viewed as a preserve for male, this prompts minimal initiatives taken to educate women. The culture designates that, educating a female child will lead to waste of resources unlike educating a male child.
Moreover, as noted earlier in the paper, female are discouraged to undertake challenging disciplines such as sciences, it is a culture that, these disciplines are a preserve for males (Women Living under Muslim Laws, 2010).
Family and Business Connection
Asians have a strong emphasis on family value and community. In one of the Asian country, for example, China, the family is viewed as a support network. This implies that each member is obligated to do something for the family and community at large. In other countries such as Japan and Korea, group work is emphasized, because it enhances closeness and security.
According to Blondel & Inoguchi (128), the family and community orientation of Asian culture ties naturally to ethics of social harmony and politeness, perhaps, this elaborates as to why the continent is better reputed in the hospitality sectors. Besides, the families are better known for their standards of politeness and courtesy.
In Chinese families and community like any other Asian country, social harmony is applauded appreciatively. The culture is less individualistic and more agitated and tends to view the “self” in terms of the “whole” (Blondel & Inoguchi, 138). This is reflected in Confucians and philosophies, in their religions; the philosophical aspects influence understanding and compassion over battles.
Also, the culture is transferred in business. They have a culture of establishing businesses and making it family owned. Most Asians businessmen and women empower control and management to his or her sons. The culture of entrepreneurial is tied to family and social network (Blondel & Inoguchi, 149). Family ties and healthy work ethics have been part of Asian community from time immemorial.
Education and Work Ethics
According to Wielemans & Pauline (59), statistics in Asians countries indicates the importance of education across the region. Japan and South Korea, for example, are placed first and second correspondingly in scientific literacy. This is based on NationMaster.com.
Besides, Asians rate better in world, standardized test scores. The good education systems can be linked to Confucian rational tradition which binds teachers and learning together. Also, hard work is also valued in Asian societies (Wielemans & Pauline 87).
Hard work ethics is anchored on Confucianism, the moral philosophy, which most Asian cultures designates their social and moral beliefs. Confucian emphasizes on; discipline, austerity and hard work for one to succeed in whatever he or she is doing.
Conclusion
Traditional Asian values provided an opportunity for interaction with each other. Through these interactions, communities could learn from each other thus assimilating values of other communities. With the popularity of migrations and spirit of expansion, the culture borrowed was carried along to different regions.
The diverse Asian culture existing presently in Asia is as a result of historical civilization. Early civilization in the continent provides a basis for various similarities of Asian culture across Asia. thus, aspects of culture such as; religion, mentorship skills, language, inequality, ancestral worship and family ties across Asian communities show some commonness across Asian countries.
Works Cited
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Vaish, Viniti, Globalization of Language and Culture in Asia: The Impact of Globalization Processes on Language, New York: Continuum International Publishing group, 2010.
Wielemans, Willy, Chan, Pauline Choi-Ping. Education and Culture in Industrializing Asia: The Interaction Between Industrialization, Cultural Identity, and Education: A Comparison of Secondary Education in Nine Asian Countries, Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1992.
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Zhuang, Juzhong, Poverty, Inequality, and inclusive Growth in Asia: measurement, Policy Issues, and country studies, London: Anthem Press, 2010.