Introduction
Some people claim that there is no place for traditional values in modern society. This essay will discuss this view based on today’s culture and modernization.
The industrial revolution was perceived as a turning point in history since it was a transformational era for the whole world. It led to current modernization, which has heavily influenced humans. Naturally, people across the globe perceived it with mixed reactions. While some see the trend as the best thing that has ever happened to humans, others view it as a curse, following the nightmares associated with it.
According to one of the opposing views, the major negative impact is that there is no place for tradition in modern society. The cultural and moral values are rapidly fading away as people continue to adjust to the patterns of modernization (Inglehart & Baker, 2000). Many individuals worldwide are not practicing their culture, owing to modernization. This, however, has raised much criticism. Numerous people think that modernization should not be taken as a trade-off for our traditional cultures.
Trying to see whether modern trends have replaced cultural beliefs and practices, this essay emphasizes that preserving traditions is the best path to follow.
Discussion
Culture simply refers to the way of life followed by a particular community, and which is passed from one generation to another. Modernisation, on the other hand, is the process of adopting new trends of life in order to comply with the current demands of life. As we all know, people are born and brought up in cultural environments, and in that case, culture can be termed as the unique possession of every human being on earth. Apart from being the shared behaviours or attitudes that we possess as humans, culture is also that complex whole comprising of the general characteristics of life that we acquire as members of society (Thomas, Fine & Ibrahim, 2004). Based on these observations, it is clear that culture has great importance on humans, and therefore, nothing should be allowed to interfere with it.
Even though it is true that globalisation and modernisation are key catalysts of development, developing countries should try to limit the levels by which they embrace these two trends as a way of encouraging and facilitating advancements (Besculides, Lee & McCormick, 2002). Instead of welcoming more technological ideas and aspects, they should try to utilise technological resources appropriately, and focus more on building their own traditions. Simply put, advanced modernisation and technology pose serious threats to our way of life in a number of ways. For example, people, and especially the younger ones, are rarely interactive with their cultural norms due to the nature of the environments they live in. This, however, exposes them to a greater risk of forgetting their own cultural identities. It is patently clear that many people have accorded much concern to the patterns of other cultures, particularly foreign ones, something which has constantly put them in contrary lines with their own cultures (Pieterse, 2009). As we all know, different cultures have different dressing codes and eating habits, and in that case, imitating other cultures’ patterns as far as these aspects are concerned is likely to violate the moral and religious concerns of one’s own culture.
As it would be observed, culture distinguishes one group of people from the other in various ways. This cultural diversity is very important, since it creates new needs for different people, thus bringing a positive impact on the tourism sector. Despite the overwhelming pressures of modernisation, some communities have vigorously maintained their traditions and cultural structures, thus attracting a lot of interest from other communities who constantly pay them a visit to explore their unique cultural identities (Abbas, 2012). In this way, the new needs created by cultures are certain to generate a lot of revenue to local tourism sectors and the communities involved. More importantly, cultural diversity covers the entire range of human experiences, and in that case, it gives interpretation to certain situations of life as they apply to people in society. This also provides an opportunity for better understanding of other cultures through social interaction, thus helping to improve social relationships among people of different cultures. Through preservation of culture, we tend to maintain our traditional beliefs, family norms and values, and sociological standards, among other important aspects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, modernisation is a universal trend that cannot be avoided, but as we continue to embrace it, we should try to protect those beliefs and norms that reflect our cultural identities. As reflected in this paper, culture is a very unique possession that serves a significant role in humans, and for that reason, we should be proud of it and grant it the recognition it deserves. Based on these observations, our traditional cultures help in keeping our family backgrounds intact, and in that case, they are the best path to follow.
References
Abbas, R. (2012). We Cannot Move Forward Unless We Preserve Our Traditions: Women Principals as Leaders in Traditional Israeli Druze Society. Education and Society, 30(2), 67-82.
Besculides, A., Lee, M., & McCormick, P. (2002). Residents’ perceptions of the cultural benefits of tourism. Annals of tourism research, 29(2), 303-319.
Inglehart, R., & Baker, W. (2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American sociological review, 12(5), 19-51.
Pieterse, J. (2009). Globalization and culture: Global Melange. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Thomas, S., Fine, M., & Ibrahim, S. (2004). Health disparities: the importance of culture and health communication. American Journal of Public Health, 94(12), 203-2070.