Evaluating Inter-cultural Behavior

We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to perish together as fools.
                                                          ~ Martin Luther King, Jr

I can't find a better way to start this post other than to show you a short clip of the following movie.

I am sure most of you would have already watched the movie Avatar at least once.  For those who have no idea what it is about, Avatar is a 2009 American science fiction film directed by James Cameron (The same person who directed Titanic). You can read the movie synopsis here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/plotsummary

Going back to the clip shown earlier, we can see clearly the conflict caused by the cultural differences.

Jake Sully: Look, I know you probably don't understand this... but, thank you.

[Neytiri ignores him and speaks in Na'vi]

Jake Sully: Thank you.

Neytiri: [Speaks in Na'vi]

Jake Sully: That was pretty impressive. I would have been screwed if you hadn't come along.

[Neytiri stands up and leaves. Jake follows her]

Jake Sully: Hey, wait a second! Where are you goin'? Wait up! Just, hey, slow down! I just wanted to say thanks for killing those things...

[Neytiri hits him with her bow]

Jake Sully: AH! Damn!

Neytiri: Don't thank. You don't thank for this! This is sad. Very sad only.

Jake Sully: Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry.

Neytiri: All this is your fault. They did not need to die.

Jake Sully: My fault? They attacked me! How am I the bad guy?

Neytiri: Your fault! Your fault.

Jake Sully: Easy. Easy...

Neytiri: You are like a baby. Making noise, don't know what to do.

Jake, being in a foreign land for the first time lacked the cultural knowledge and values of the native Na'vis. He thought that the killing of the creatures was necessary when his life was threatened and thanked Neytiri for saving him. However, to Neytiri, it was a tragedy that could have been avoided if Jake had understood that every life on that that planet were interconnected and each sought to live harmoniously. Honestly, I was quite taken back by Neytiri's reaction because just like Jake, I had no idea who the Na'vis were or how they lived. I think the same will apply to us when we meet someone new with a different cultural and social background. 

Breaking such a communication barrier is not easy. It is not just about reading up on another person's culture on wikipedia. I think to get a really good understanding, one must immerse him/herself into the culture of others, much like what was shown in the movie. One would then be able to experience and learn much more as there is someone to impart the knowledge first-hand.

Through such cultural exchange, mutual understanding and tolerance can be fostered in individuals. This is extremely important for the multi-racial and cultural society of Singapore to avoid events such as the 1964 & 1969 racial riot.

I think showing respect and being sensitive to the beliefs, customs, traditions, etc is the key to achieve peace and harmony. Not just in Singapore, but throughout the world as globalization brings people much closer together than before.

To quote Martin Luthur King Jr again, "We may all come on different ships, but we're all on the same boat now.".