Difference between Asian and Western cultures As a psychotherapist and working with the different cultures, I have come

to realize while there are vast differences between the diverse cultures, there are many commonalities. According to Paul . Pederson, author of !ulture"!entered !ounseling Interventions, who asserts #$he %astern and Western viewpoints are not competing but, rather complementary view of reality, and the false dichotomy of materialism versus spiritualism and of West versus %ast must be transcended. %ach must be understood within its own conte&t.# ut you can not classify all Asians into one culture group any more than you can say all Americans are alike, all %uropeans are alike or all Africans are alike. $he Asian culture consists of !hina, 'apan, India, and Philippines, very different countries with different religions. $o relate with a person of a different culture, race, gender, or social"economical background it is necessary to understand the particular culture, or sub"culture your client or a(uantance is from, and to understand his)her belief system. !hina is !onfucianism, $aoism, uddhism, Islam and !hristian. 'apan is *hinto, and uddhism. India is +indu, uddhist, and ,uslim. $he Philippines is -. percent !atholic. /utside of religious differences, the Western cultures tend to be more individualist while the Asian cultures focus more on the group as a whole. A Westerner asks, #What0s in it for me,# the Asian asks, #+ow will my actions affect the group. Will my action bring honor or shame to my family, community, or country1# In Asia, as a whole, one0s spiritual life is more important than in the Western world. Asians devote much time to contemplating, meditation and gaining insight into situations and life. Western societies are drifting away from their once strong !atholic)Protestant ethics. In recent years there has been a blending of the cultures as the Western world is awakening to the fact the %uro ethics may not be the only ethic and that there is a great deal of merit in the %astern cultural beliefs. 2222222222222222222. According to my 'apanese friend, 3im 4ea, everything in the West is backwards. We put our old folks in the nursing homes when we should be honoring them, seeking their advice. We spoil our children, when we should be training them to be good workers and to take care of us when we are old.

We worry about life after death and we should be concern about solving our karma while living and what or who we are coming back as when we reincarnate. We train our children to be self"centered and egotistical and we should be training them to be considerate of others and nurture the ego through service to others. 3im 4ea says we surround ourselves with loud noise when we should be seeking (uiet and peace in our lives. We rush and keep super busy when we should be taking time to contemplate, and seek the beauty that surrounds us. 3im 4ea says thee are obvious differences as music, religion, the arts, government and politics. ut she has noticed the differences are becoming fewer and fewer with television, and the Internet bridging the gap. Plus Western society is looking more to the %ast for ancient knowledge and wisdom. Anyway, that0s what my friend 3im 4ea says is the main differences between the Asian and Western cultures. 222222222222222. $here are many differences between Asian and Western cultures. $hese differences can be found along the lines of religion, family and government. 5irst, the Western world is primarily !hristian while the Asian world is dominated by uddhism, +induism and $aoism. $he rituals and beliefs between these religions varies greatly and underlies the two cultures whole world view. 5or the !hristian West, monotheism is espoused and rituals observed, while the uddhist and $aoist focus on meditation and release from the problems of life. *o, for !hristians it is much more about worship of an entity, whereas for uddhists and $aoists it is about contemplation and spiritual freedom without a !reator 6od. $hese differences have a profound effect on each cultures0 world view. 5or e&ample, !hristians will observe their religion primarily on *undays and include social betterment programs as part of the practice of their faith. !onversely, uddhists and $aoists will primarily not attend temple that often and practice their faith at home in a personal way. *econd, the families of the two cultures are very different. In the Asian culture, individual family members are interdependent. 5amily pride is of utmost importance in Asia. !hildren strive hard to please their parents and bring respect and admiration to the family name. $hey do this by hard work in the home through chores and service and by strict attention to their education.

In the 7.th century the same could be said of Western culture, but not so much anymore. 5or e&ample, according to an article written *eptember 8-th, 7..9 by the :nesco Institute for *tatistics in !anada, !hina has twice as many university graduates as the :nited *tates, which was the world leader at one time. %ducation in Asia is of utmost importance and has taken the lead around the world. !rime can be another factor relevant to family life between the two cultures. 5or instance, based on the most recent :nited ;ations statistics done in 8<<=, the recorded crimes in !hina was 8>= per population of 8..,... people. 5or the same year, the recorded crimes in the :* was ?,>9? per 8..,... people. While individualism is highly valued in the :* and the West, collectivism is highly valued in the %ast and Asian countries. It is much harder to commit a crime against your neighbor in Asia considering the shame and embarrassment it causes your family than in the :*. $he last difference between the two cultures is primarily centered around government structure and economy. While the West is primarily one based on democracy and individual rights and privileges, the Asian culture is based on one of collective betterment and government oversight. $his can be seen in the economic principles of !apitalism in the West and !ommunism in Asia. $hey are two vastly different forms of government and economies that reflect the cultures of the people that form them. $he differences that have been addressed between the two cultures of the West and Asia are not the only ones, but are the primary differences that anyone can see at first glance. While these differences should not be used as a dividing line between the two cultures, they can be used for dialog and hopefully will lead to greater understanding and partnership between them. @22222222222.. AAs the soil, however rich it may be, cannot be productive without cultivation, so the mind without culture can never produce good fruit.B *eneca (uotes CDoman philosopher, mid"8st century ADE APeople can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. !ultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to e&ist.B Daisaku Ikeda (uotes C'apanese peace Activist and uddhist 4eader of uddhist organization *oka 6akkai International, b.8<7-E

AI do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. ut I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.B

,ahatma 6andhi (uotes CIndian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 8-F<"8<=-E

AIf we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place.B ,argaret ,ead (uotes CAmerican anthropologist whose great fame owed as much to the force of her personality and her outspokenness as it did to the (uality of her scientific work, 8<.8"8<9-E A%very age, every culture, every custom and tradition has its own character, its own weakness and its own strength, its beauties and crueltiesG it accepts certain sufferings as matters of course, puts up patiently with certain evils. +uman life is reduced to real suffering, to hell, only when two ages, two cultures and religions overlap.B +ermann +esse (uotes C6erman born *wiss ;ovelist and Poet. Won the ;obel Prize for 4iterature in 8<=F, 8-99"8<F7E AWhat #multiculturalism# boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world e&cept Western culture " and you cannot blame any culture in the world e&cept Western cultureB $homas *owell (uotes CAmerican Writer and %conomist, b.8<>.E

AIn any culture, subculture, or family in which belief is valued above thought, and self" surrender is valued above self"e&pression, and conformity is valued above integrity, those who preserve their self"esteem are likely to be heroic e&ceptionsB ;athaniel randen (uotes AIf art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.B 'ohn 5itzgerald 3ennedy (uotes CAmerican >?th :* President C8<F8"F>E, 8<89"8<F>E A$he great law of culture isH 4et each become all that he was capable of beingG e&pand, if possible to his full growthG resisting all impediments, casting off all foreign, especially all no&ious adhesionsG and show himself at length in his own shape aB

$homas !arlyle (uotes C*cottish +istorian and %ssayist, leading figure in the Iictorian era. 89<?"8--8E AboutH !ulture (uotes. AIt is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that e(uality is an ethical and not a biological principleB Ashley ,ontagu (uotes

AI believe that in the history of art and of thought there has always been at every living moment of culture a 0will to renewal0. $his is not the prerogative of the last decade only. All history is nothing but a succession of 0crises0, of rupture, reB %ugene Ionesco (uotes C5rench dramatist inspired a revolution in dramatic techni(ues, 8<.<"8<<=E AboutH Art (uotes, +istory (uotes, !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

AI think of art, at its most significant, as a D%W line, a Distant %arly Warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen to it.B ,arshall ,c4uhan (uotes C!anadian communications theorist %ducator, Writer and *ocial Deformer, 8<88"8<-.E AboutH Art (uotes, !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A$he old Irish when immersing a babe at baptism left out the right arm so that it would remain pagan for good fightingB *imilar Juotes. AboutH abies (uotes, !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A$he 4aw of Daspberry 'amH the wider any culture is spread, the thinner it gets.B Alvin $offler (uotes CAmerican Author of *cience"fiction, b.8<7-E *imilar Juotes. AboutH !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A!ulture is an instrument wielded by professors to manufacture professors, who when their turn comes will manufacture professorsB *imone Weil (uotes C5rench social Philosopher, ,ystic and Activist in the 5rench Desistance during World War II. 8<.<"8<=>E AboutH !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A!ertainly, we are trying to preserve all of that culture, and get the advantages of being a large company with a broad product line, with stability, worldwide presence, great support, and yet have the advantages that a small software company has.B ill 6ates (uotes CAmerican %ntrepreneur and 5ounder of ,icrosoft !o., b.8<??E AboutH !ulture (uotes, !ompany (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A!ulture, with us, ends in headacheB Dalph Waldo %merson (uotes CAmerican Poet, 4ecturer and %ssayist, 8-.>"8--7E AboutH !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A!ulture is to know the best that has been said and thought in the worldB ,atthew Arnold (uotes C%nglish Iictorian Poet and !ritic of 4iteracy and *ociety. 8-77"8---E AboutH !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

AI think that one possible definition of our modern culture is that it is one in which nine"tenths of our intellectuals can0t read any poetryB Dandall 'arrell (uotes CAmerican poet, 8<8="8<F?E AboutH !ulture (uotes. Add to !hapter...

A+e was not hip"hop0s most gifted emcee. *till, *hakur may be the most influential and compelling rapper of them all, he was more than the sum of his artistic parts.B fluczak ,ichael %ric Dyson (uotes