Four Reasons Why You Should Learn About Other Cultures
They are learning about yours:
Yes, you read that correctly. Other cultures are learning about yours. They are learning A LOT about it. They are learning social mannerisms, they are learning the language, and they are learning the history. When I started studying abroad, I was so surprised with how many people knew how to speak English and knew more U.S. presidents than I did, when I sadly could not even point their country out on a map. That really opened my eyes to how closed off the U.S. is to the rest of the world. We only learn world history to a certain extent and it is still mostly about the U.S. while other countries are learning everything about their countries history and the U.S.
It helps you to be more accepting of diversity:
Visiting other countries, watching documentaries about them, or even just reading about them can help build acceptance of the diverseness of the world. Between all of the religions, races, languages and etiquette, it is sometimes hard to be accepting of things and people that are different, but if you learn more about the how and why that each country became the way that they are, you can learn to accept rather than judge what makes them different.
It creates curiosity:
Learning about other cultures will make you more motivated to visit and find out what it is really like. Being curious creates an interest in understanding the similarities and differences between your culture and another. Being curious may also help you better understand and accept cultural differences that may be a challenge without visiting the country of the cultural difference that you are learning about.
It leads to global awareness:
In this day and age, global awareness is important for many reasons. Most jobs require at one point or another interacting with another country or a person from another country. Being able to communicate in a kind and respectful way will go really far. Plus, being globally aware tends to make for well-rounded individuals who are very open-minded. If you were to be put in a position where you had to make a decision regarding someone from another culture, being globally aware will help you make a good and well-informed decision.