Differences in Cultural Lenses Essay 2022

Running head: DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL LENSES
Differences in cultural lenses
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL LENSES
1
The culture as experienced by an individual highly varied as one moves from one part of
the world to the other. Furthermore, such differences in culture is also dependent upon the level
of economic development as may be found in a particular country (Lim, 2016). This essay tries
to understand the importance of cultural values as one attempts to understand the people living in
a foreign country. This essay takes the view point of an Indian student who has recently migrated
to Australia and thereby experiences the various cultural differences as exists between the two
countries.
I recently moved to the country of Australia in order to pursue my higher studies. This
not only meant a change in physical environment but also a change in the culture and traditions
as has been observed by me for nearly two decades. One of the most intriguing feature of
Australia was the extent of adherence to the spiritual traditions. In India, the citizens are highly
influenced by their own religious traditions so much so that they allow their daily activities to be
guided by such superstitious beliefs. However, in Australia, people are more spiritual rather than
religious. They undertake activities in a rational manner but try to align themselves with the
spirit world.
The idea that we are all influenced by our own cultural lens is intriguing. Being human
beings, we all have our own basic needs to fulfill. However, the manner in which we do fulfill it
is significantly dependent on the way we perceive the world (Graham et al., 2016). This made
me feel as if the cultural differences will always mark me as an ‘outsider’ within the region of
Australia.
Our cultural lens is highly influenced by the way we were raised (Ray & Poonwassie,
2017). Living amongst the people of a community who adheres to a specific way of life