Multicultural societies

Countries like the USA and Australia are modern multicultural societies; they have been created by successive waves of immigration of peoples from other continents and countries, as well as by the original inhabitants: Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America over several hundreds of years. The result is an exciting and rich blend of people, cultures and lifestyles. However, these countries are not without their problems as can be seen if you look at their history.

Countries and communities have probably always been multicultural; no two people are the same; even friends have different preferences in clothes, sports teams, food and even in beliefs, yet they manage to live and work together, to support each other, and to be tolerant of their respective differences. Their friendship is probably richer, more interesting and more rewarding as a result. Yet it is not always so; Genghis Khan fought bitterly with his “blood brother” even though they had so much in common.

Life in a multicultural society is richer, the range of experiences available is more diverse, yet it is only if each individual is able to accept difference that they can enjoy it. It is easy to eat the grilled lamb kebabs of the people from Turkey on the streets, but it is harder to accept their values, their culture or their religion.

We all live in multicultural societies; sometimes the going is easy, but sometimes we need to listen to, to understand and to really empathise with the other people from the other culture. Unfortunately, we are not always able to do it. (263 words)