What factors of your native culture have informed your religious world view? Explain the impact of these factors?
3 comments Posted by choism at 5:50 AM
If somebody asks me 'what is your nationality?' I can answer without a glimpse of hesitation that I am a 100% Korean. People can tell from the way I think, I talk and I live that I am dominantly influenced by the Korean culture which I think is matchless to any other cultures that I have experienced in my life. I was raised in a Catholic family but my parents weren’t ‘ardent’ worshippers and I was never forced to go to the church on Sundays, to read the bible ‘thoroughly’ or to put my faith in God. This doesn’t mean that I am ignorant and indifferent towards the existence of the ‘Almighty’ but I just never had a proper chance to question my faith and religious values.
I moved to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when I was 5 years old because of my dad's business. I was bewildered as soon as I left my 'secured zone' but there wasn’t an extreme anxiety that my parents and I expected to dwell in my mind; perhaps this was because I was too small that I didn't have the capacity to think in such a way but anyways I was intrigued to move to another place that I have never lived before. I went to my first international school in Malaysia and this was a cultural shock to me; not only because I couldn't communicate in their language but because people were treating me as an outsider because I came from a different culture. I was frustrated and infuriated about my inability to fuse into the society that according to my mother, I uttered something in English, words that I learnt in my first day of school when I was dreaming. My parents encouraged me to accompany them to go to the church and I still remember when I shouted out loud as an act of defiance. This was also a pivotal moment in my life when I realized that it's impossible to derive happiness from pessimism. As time flowed, the cultural barrier that has been preventing me to reach out to people who were ready to embrace me has collapsed and I had no troubles socializing with friends and understanding more about their cultures. Malaysia is a country with diverse religions; some Malays are of Arab descent and there are considerable Chinese and Indian communities but Islam is the largest as well as the ‘official’ religion. This would have affected my religious point of view if I had lived in the region for many years but I only lived for two years and a half and it wasn't enough for me to appreciate Malaysian culture; one of the things I regret the most.
When I moved back to my home country, I didn't have any difficulties adapting to the Korean environment because I talked fluent Korean and I was conversant with the social rules that were prevalent in a communal hierarchy. In the middle of my middle school years, my father came home to announce that our family will be leaving to Switzerland. I still remember how I responded “Dad, what do you mean my Switzerland?" I was exhilarated by the fact that I will be leaving overseas but the word 'Switzerland' sounded so unfamiliar and atypical. The only thing that came to my mind was an image of Swiss alps and Swiss chocolate. In retrospect, I have come to realization that perhaps this was another path that God has laid for me, the path that would take me to a whole new world with ultimate happiness.
One thing that was different about Korean culture and Swiss culture was that in Korea, the majority of the population is Korean but in Switzerland, due to its location, there were many different nationalities with distinctive backgrounds entangled in one society. It was awkward to suddenly see many cultures in one place but I came to acknowledge the opportunity that God has provided me to witness and experience what becomes when people share their faiths and religions. Everyone in the neighborhood kept a cordial relationship with others and there was often a correlation between people with completely dissimilar backgrounds. Even though I don't believe in a particular religion, I see many values in various religions and when I perceive that there are aspects that I agree to, I tend to follow with my heart. I think that this is what He had planned beforehand and I will incessantly attempt to find the ultimate truth about my religion.
