Cultural Differences

Many disagreements between individuals, and groups of people are started over differences in their beliefs, or morals.  The article The Challenge of Cultural Relativism states how different cultures have different moral codes, how there is not one universal code of ethics because different cultures have their own codes, and how despite many differences, all cultures are bound to have some characteristics in common.  I agree with this article in that people's morals and beliefs change according to their culture, and that there is not just one universal code of ethics, but many different codes depending on an individuals culture.  This is also evident to me in the book Things Fall Apart.  In this novel, Christian missionaries arrive in Africa, and begin trying to convert the Africans from their tribal culture to a more Western one.  This created a lot of turmoil in those African regions, and ultimately led to violence.  This also happens a lot in the real world.  In the Middle East, Muslim cultures believe that the woman is inferior, and they do not allow her to show any of her hair, or most of her body for that matter.  If a woman is seen showing these things, she is beaten, and sometimes even killed.  I view these things as morally wrong, but that is because I am a part of a different culture, where women are allowed to show their hair in public, and are treated with more respect, and kindness than the women in the Middle East.  This is just one example of a difference between our culture, and that of the Muslims, and could also be why there is so much tension between the two.  In my opinion, people should focus more on the similar values between their cultures rather than the differences.  As stated in The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, all cultures have some values in common, such as valuing their children.  The world would be a much better, and more peaceful place if people of various cultures thought to focus on the similarities, rather than the differences in between cultures.