ISSUE63 了解文化需参照 倒数10天有拍必回！ by pluka

plukaUID: 2721764

TOPIC: ISSUE63 - "To truly understand your own culture-no matter how you define it-requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own."
WORDS: 422—>585words      TIME: 00:45:00+23min       DATE: 2010-2-20 21:23:06

I side with the statement in that merging into the social atmosphere that enclosed us everyday, people tend to overlook the culture of their own; by properly comparing and contrasting the characteristic of their culture with that of another, however, they comprehend further the former. 

Someone claims that by tracing back the histroy and origin of the evolution of culture, one can gain further understanding as well. True, scholars and historians have been working industriously to present us backgrounds and developing chains of our customs, languagues, believes, etc, which we can refer to if we want. Yet do we really want to? When speaking English, would a person feel curious about the influence on English from Latin? When wearing jeans and a cowboy hat, would a man seek to know the western culture? In fact, frequently people are just experiencing and ignoring both the visible and implicit culture around--though they know they can gain more knowledge of culture by digging a little bit further. The accustomed and indifferent attitude fostered by the familiar routine life prohibit people from looking for the meaning of their culture, let alone tracing back. And such method of deepening cultural identity falls largely to mere realm of scholars, which is detached from the majority.

Such nonchalance for one's culture ceases, oftentime, when a person has access to another culture that is so different as to raise his interests to compare the two and, in so doing, gain further learning of the culture of his own. My uncle, who has lived abroad for years, wrote(and I paraphrase): " The most unfamiliar scene and the sense of estrangement never detach me from my homeland--the more exotic beauty I see, the more appreciation I perceive for my own culture." The distance reminds he of the cultural identity and the unconcious comparison between the original and the new life impresses him with ever clear conception of the uniqueness of his own culture. An oversea student, too, experience the same. By comparing dressing, speaking, rituals and ceremonies, social values, and so forth, he notices what he ignored before. Even, out of patriotism and the avid desire to promot his culture to foreigners, he may actively turn to books and records on traditions and cultures of his nation, acquiring knowledges that he may never pick at home.

Nevertheless, the observation and the comparion of the foreign culture and that of one's own can contribute to deepened and broadened understanding only with proper approaches. Otherwise unfavorable consequences loom. Qing dynasty, though was aware of the existence of western countries, refused to recognize any merits of their culture, deeming itself the most authoritative and enlightened epitom of the world: distinctions exhibited by other nations are but evidence for their shabby tradition, and the upmostly civilization level of Qing. With such prejudice, there is no possiblity that one can gain anything from the foreign. Another tragedy happens when people debase the culture of their nation and turn entirely docile, even servile, to the dominance of others. There was time when Chinese rejected traditions and customs, calling confucionism rotten and folk customs unenlightened, and felt eager to embrace western civilization wholeheartedly. The time end with chaotic spiritual conditions and disordered society, causing by the lost of cultural identity. Along the biased path, seldom will the desirable destination be attained.

Often, the familarity blinds us from seeing the essence of the culture. It is through being foreign and being comparing appropriately that one percieves true understanding of his culture. 

又没有限住，超了好多……写的时候思路老停，很是纠结。时间不多了，这可如何是好……

求指教，有拍必回，请留链！

tequilawineUID: 2702008

TOPIC: ISSUE63 - "To truly understand your own culture-no matter how you define it-requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own."
WORDS: 422—>585words      TIME: 00:45:00+23min       DATE: 2010-2-20 21:23:06

I side with the statement in that merging into the social atmosphere that enclosed us everyday, people tend to overlook the culture of their own; by properly comparing and contrasting the characteristic of their culture with that of another, however省略就可以了, they comprehend further the former.

Someone claims that by tracing back the histroy and origin of the evolution of culture, one can gain further understanding as well. True, scholars and historians have been working industriously to present us backgrounds and developing chains of our customs, languagues, believes, etc, which we can refer to if we want. Yet do we really want to? When speaking English, would a person feel curious about the influence on English from Latin? When wearing jeans and a cowboy hat, would a man seek to know the western culture? In fact, frequently people are just experiencing and ignoring both the visible and implicit culture around--though they know they can gain more knowledge of culture by digging a little bit further. The accustomed and indifferent attitude fostered by the familiar routine life prohibit people from looking for the meaning of their culture, let alone tracing back. And such method of deepening cultural identity falls largely to mere realm of scholars, which is detached from the majority.


Such nonchalance漠不关心的 for one's culture ceases, oftentime, when a person has access to another culture that is so different as to raise his interests to compare the two and, in so doing, gain further learning of the culture of his own. My uncle, who has lived abroad for years, wrote(and I paraphrase): " The most unfamiliar scene and the sense of estrangement never detach me from my homeland--the more exotic奇异的 beauty I see, the more appreciation I perceive for my own culture." The distance reminds he（him） of the cultural identity and the unconcious comparison between the original and the new life impresses him with ever clear conception of the uniqueness of his own culture. An oversea student, too, experience the same. By comparing dressing, speaking, rituals and ceremonies, social values, and so forth, he notices what he ignored before. Even, out of patriotism and the avid热切的 desire to promot(prompt) his culture to foreigners, he may actively turn to books and records on traditions and cultures of his nation, acquiring knowledges that he may never pick at home. 我感觉你还可以加个1.2句话的例子。

Nevertheless, the observation and the comparion of the foreign culture and that of one's own can contribute to deepened and broadened understanding only with proper approaches. Otherwise unfavorable consequences loom呈现出现. Qing dynasty, though was aware of the existence of western countries, refused to recognize any merits of their culture, deeming itself the most authoritative and enlightened epitom of the world: distinctions exhibited by other nations are but evidence for their shabby tradition这里没有看懂, and the upmostly civilization level of Qing. With such prejudice, there is no possiblity that one can gain anything from the foreign. Another tragedy happens when people debase the culture of their nation and turn entirely docile, even servile, to the dominance of others. There was time when Chinese rejected traditions and customs, calling confucionism 孔夫子 rotten and folk customs unenlightened无知的落后的, and felt eager to embrace western civilization wholeheartedly. The time end with chaotic spiritual conditions and disordered society, causing by the lost of cultural identity. Along the biased偏离的 path, seldom will the desirable destination be attained. 这个里面有了another tragedy 但是前面一个你好像没有明确写出来。

Often, the familarity blinds us from seeing the essence of the culture. It is through being foreign and being comparing appropriately that one percieves true understanding of his culture.

这篇文章你写的真的很好，我大概总结了一下，是不是首先是说人们们有比较而容易忽略，然后进一步说比较后容易促进理解，最后提出比较的基本条件。我感觉很充实。没什么说的了。

plukaUID: 2721764

“... distinctions exhibited by other nations are but evidence for their shabby tradition这里没有看懂, ...”
额，这里是想说清朝人认为那些差异只不过证明了外国的落后（卑下的传统）之类，没有写好= =