For this assignment, I chose to contact three people that I have close relationships with, who I believe, in some ways, are culturally different from me. I chose my neighbor, Robert who is a wheelchair bound male, my old male co-worker, Abdul, who is Jewish and one of my undergrad college classmates, Cassie, who is Caucasian. I asked these three individual their definitions of culture and their definition of diversity. Their responses follow:

Definition of Culture:

Robert: “Culture, to me is our way of life and the way we do and view certain things.” (Robert 2016)

Abdul: “Culture is how we as a people acknowledge our traditions, customs and beliefs. And we must follow them” (Abdul 2016)

Cassie: “Culture is how we adapt to the world around us on a daily basis and take advantages of the resources we are provided with.” (Cassie 2016)

Definitions of Diversity:

Robert: “Diversity governs the difference in people, regarding race, gender, abilities and many more.” (Robert 2016)

Abdul: “The difference of all people” (Abdul 2016)

Cassie: “What separates the differences from the similarities in us” (Cassie 2016)

 

        The answers that I received displayed quite a few aspects of what I have learned in this course. For example, Abdul explained that culture has ties with traditions, customs and beliefs, in which he leaned toward defining culture as in what he shares with his family and others of the same ethnicity as him.

        Robert mentioned abilities as part of his definition of diversity. By Robert being a wheelchair-bound individual, his abilities are slightly shortened. This difference, which I would rather say uniqueness, is one of his characteristic that makes him diverse in his own way.

        I did not notice any aspects that I felt were omitted in the definitions, although it is possible that I may have missed some. If anything, it has broadened my thinking.

        Thinking about the definitions I were provided with by these individuals has influenced my thinking about culture and diversity by allowing me to realize that culture does not always have to be a particular method followed by a group of people to considered as a culture, nor is it a requirement. Individuals are allowed to follow their own culture freely. I now understand that culture and diversity go hand in hand. Some of the cultures that an individual chooses to possess and follow could possibly make them diverse in some form