Tradition And Culture In The Social Setting Contributes - Essay Example

Tradition And Culture In The Social Setting Contributes In life, human beings pass through different phases with different perceptions of life making other group of people superior to others. Tradition and culture in the social setting contributes a lot resulting to heavier burden to be bestowed to the inferior personality. It is to my opinion that people view life positively and understands that all human beings have equal opportunities in life despite the differences. This can be approached in individual responsibilities in marriage between man and woman, sexual relationship between male and female, dreams and ambitions in life, religious beliefs, and education. As a child, I nurtured into two different cultural backgrounds having born in Malaysia and being raised in Philippines. My father who is a Christian and my mother a Muslim got married 25 years ago. My elder sister and I were the only children my parents had. Two cultural backgrounds conflicted that made me confused in what faith to follow. Because my father was a Christian demanded that we follow Christian faith him being the head. I grew up in a culture where men dominated in everything leaving women unrecognized. My mother having Islamic faith was taught to submit to her husband totally. I felt the two cultures being had on women. It was a prerequisite that my mother respects and submits to my dad in whatever the circumstances. My father intertwined intimidating acts and controls to my mother. Through the faith of my mother, i felt, she was the fairest of and the best woman due to her feminine grace and tenderness of heart that expressed in her eyes as she could honor my father. I thought that the cultures were unfair to women resulting to biological differences between men and women in both cultures in terms of division of labor and responsibilities of both men and women in the society. My father worked in a construction company, and was hardly seen at home but entertained friends and other men, and worked for long hours. His principle duty was to provide for the family materially. The responsibility of child upbringing was shouldered on my mother since women were not allowed to work but do domestic chores. Her responsibilities were to take care of us, discipline and control us as well as carry out all house hold chores. Since my elder sister was already married to with air force man, I was the only child who was left with my parents. As the only child at home, I learned domestic chores at an early age and was expected to help my mother. It was actually provoking a woman could only become a member of the community when she got married and bore children but could not contribute to the economy of the country and improve her status intellectually and professionally. My mother felt humiliated, exploited and intimidated and sometimes rejected because my father was a husband figure that could not fulfill all the needs of my mother such as affection and love. A great awakening came right at my door step when my sister petitioned for me to go to the United States to study and became a citizen. As soon as I got the visa, I cried triumphantly holding up the visa shouting “I got it, I got it”, eyes gleaming with surprise. This rekindled my ambition and dreams in life that I found worthwhile and fulfilling. Immediately I started preparations for my journey. My flight to The United States of America was the most interesting experience I ever dreamt in live. The plane took off and disappeared in the clouds, all my time I watched lovely and beautiful scenery as objects become smaller and smaller thought running through my mind of the great chance I had. The journey took almost 24 hours. We were occasionally overtaken by strong winds that obscured my view but finally we landed to the airport a land of “milk and honey”. On arrival, I was greeted by my sister, her husband and some few friends and later airport another two hours to her home. I was admitted after some few weeks and started classes. After some few months my sister again petitioned for my father and he was able to make to the United States where he made effort for my mother to join us. I moved in to stay with my parents since my father had secured a job and he was able to cater for our needs with my sister’s help. My mother finally got a job as a nanny. During her working, I got moved when I found out that my father’s coercive actions made my mother became a victim of hostage since she had no freedom of using her had earned money. Her rights were suppressed by my father taking the money she had earned to control and manage it being the head of the wife that was indeed frustrating. She was a docile, strong willed, God fearing, and hardworking woman who could do anything for the good of the family even when life seemed to have no meaning. Despite of everything she submitted and stuck to the principle of “until death do us part”. My life in Texas was frustrating because I felt secluded by race. San Antonio Being a Hispanic dominant, I found it had to create friendship with people around me. The only people I was close to was my parents and my sister’s family. I felt lonely in school but gradually got a long with used new life, made friends and related well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. I got the zeal to work hard through thick and thin despite worries of frustrations that my mother underwent. I had to be careful with the relationships I had. Female sex in the United States was considered different and inferior to the male sex hence sexual abuse taking its toll in many ways in an alarming rate leading to unwanted pregnancies among young girls. I observed girls being sexually harassed in school and in the community, as well as raped. One incident I noticed is where a woman was molested with an abusive boyfriend that led to injury. I remember vividly when my friend Alice, from Hispanic race was sexually abused. One day on her way home, she witnesses a group of men hanging in the street that got raped her. Due to her poor background, the law could not protect her and lacked necessary resources that could help her heal from the trauma that occurred in her life. She was diagnosed with HIV/ Aids which worsened that changed her life completely and soon became thinner and weaker day by day in a devastating condition and was confined to bed. All her dreams were shattered and laid there writhing in pain. Gradually the truth started sinking in me to see that Alice’s life was coming to an end. I called frequently to check his progress. I sat by his bed, watching and holding his hand tears trickling down my face. It was clear that the end was near. I never again saw her alive since that day. The following morning, news about Alice’s death was all over that created a massive attraction to the entire community in a twinkle of an eye. Tears welled up in my eyes and silently coursed down my cheeks on receiving the news. I was disconsolate because I had been so fond of her being the only best friend I had, a terror of stricken mournful cry broke the silence of the room when I found that Alice was no more and then made a dash for the door due to disbelief. A decent burial was arranged for her by the community and friends. The good thing is that the government is improving to help women with the problem of sexual abuse. In my community many ways has been devised to curb sexual abuse, exploitation and injury by introducing harassment complaint form that a person can use to report cases such as sexual harassment, sexual advances or other forms of harassment from religious, and racism that creates an intimidating hostile environment to others. Despite, sexual abuse in women the law is trying to protect both girls and women because all human being has a right to protection, life and equal opportunities in life. I gained values that influenced my life and I have come to learn that all human beings are equal despite the cultural differences and that all human beings are capable of being molded to a single pattern as easily as a diverse one that can positive impact an individual, others and the society. My father gradually got transformed and is still in the process of gaining full transformation on attitudes towards women. The laws regarding sexual abuse made me understood that women are equal to men but remain subordinate to male. My dreams and ambitions in life were rekindled. I was able to adapt a dynamic way of life. Since then, my father respects my mother and live has turned out to be good. Learning different cultural backgrounds has created a sound mind and development of a whole man. My mother can also work to improve the economy and help in contributing to the family needs as well as her needs that has positively impacted change on society, others and myself where both men and women are able to compete equally. Since the society is changing from cultural believes to modern way of living, modern women are freed from performing child bearing duties by taking children to child care institutions, schools as well as using appropriate birth control and mechanisms to plan the family as careers are being developed but remain subordinate to their husbands. Women are now half the sky and equal as men in public and professional sphere. The radical change of patterns from a traditional way of life helped the community to adapt modern patterns of economic growth. Dreams in life are fulfilled by both men and women. The death of Alice frightened me when I think about it. I learned that death is a mystery, which even doctors have failed to understand and comprehend. It is the most feared and dreaded enemy on the face of the earth that happens every day. Both the just and those who did wrong will be judged. Death also strikes indiscriminately to all people alike and does not disqualify the status or position of a person in the society, or country. Black, and white, rich and poor and good and bad all became equal at the end of journey of life. So people should turn away from their sinful ways and follow Christ and respect other people. Work Cited Stark, Evan. “Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life”. New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 2007. Google Books. Web. 1 May, 2012. Read More