By Culture, I mean the set of beliefs, customs, accepted behaviors, attitudes, values, conventions and practices that people have due to the groups (primarily the region, race, or religion) they belong to.
No matter who you are or where you come from, you have the natural belief that your “culture”, the way you were raised, your beliefs and your way of doing things, is better than everybody else’s.
I used to go on a regular basis to some of the most impoverished places on earth. Initially I was surprised that even there, people thought that their way of doing things was the best way.
Everyone has what could be called “cultural ego”.
I call it a “natural belief” because I believe that it is what you start with. Over time you might question or change some of the beliefs about your culture. Unfortunately, people who do this are the exception rather than the rule.
The real problem with Culture is when people try to impose their culture on others. It is fine if people decide to change aspects of their “personal culture” of their own free will. But to force someone into a culture they do not want is fundamentally Evil.
Most of the conflicts in the world today are based on culture clashes. Clashes were one culture attempts to force itself on people having a different one.
What To Do
We all need to accept that a person’s culture is that person’s choice. (See the first post on “Good vs Evil”). If someone wants to believe the world is flat, that’s their choice. If someone wants to eat with their fingers, that should be their choice. If someone wants to believe that God is one thing and not another, or doesn’t exist at all; that should be their choice.
People should question and test their own personal cultures, their beliefs, their values and their practices. This is because there are in fact consequences for beliefs, values and practices. For example, if you move to a country that speaks a different language, your opportunities will be severely limited if you don’t learn the language, out of the fact that you can’t communicate properly. Other practices, for example those that could result in spreading disease, could have more disastrous effects.
Even worse are accepted practices relating to Force. Some cultures have norms that eliminate choice and thereby freedom. They believe they have the right to do this. Such aspects of any culture are fundamentally Evil.
We have had to fight against fundamentally Evil cultures in the past. These have included absolute Monarchies (where you were forced to accept the King as your absolute ruler in all things), Militarism (such as the cultures of Nazi Germany or pre-war Japan), and Communism (where you give up your property and control to a “select few”).
Today the biggest conflict is with those that would force others into a certain religion. Because they believe they have the right to Force others.