Cultural Lenses Essay: Exploring Cultural Perspectives

This essay reflects on the concept of cultural lenses, drawing upon the personal experiences of an Indian student who recently migrated to Australia. It explores how cultural values and beliefs shape individual perspectives and influence interactions within a new cultural environment. The essay highlights the differences between Indian and Australian cultures, particularly regarding religious practices and spiritual beliefs. Using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, the student analyzes their own cultural lens, recognizing the impact of upbringing and societal norms on their worldview. The author discusses the challenges of adapting to a new culture, the importance of understanding different perspectives, and the process of rationalizing and integrating new cultural values. The essay emphasizes the need for self-reflection and adaptability in a globalized world, advocating for a shift in one's cultural lens to foster better understanding and acceptance of diverse cultural perspectives.

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

1DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL LENSES
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

2DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL LENSES
significantly shapes the way we perceive the same objects of the world. I had a bad experience
where I was mocked for holding certain superstitious beliefs.
This experience made me evaluate myself and my cultural lens. I realized that being in a
globalized world of today, it is common for people to migrate to other areas of the world for
achieving a better standard of living. However, often times it is observed that people of such host
countries are not very accommodating to the people of other cultures (Glover & Friedman,
2015).
I realized that in order to bring about a change, I needed to change my own cultural lens.
Since it is me who is required to live in Australia, I have to accept their cultural lens and see the
world from their point of view. This meant giving up my religious aspect and instead, imbibing
the spiritual tradition in me.
One of the ways in which this can be brought about is by experiencing more of the
Australian culture and rationalizing the culture by myself. Once I start to understand the manner
in which the Australians try to solve their problems, I perhaps might be motivated to do so to.

3DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL LENSES
References:
Glover, J., & Friedman, H. L. (2015). Transcultural competence: Navigating cultural differences
in the global community. American Psychological Association.
Graham, J., Meindl, P., Beall, E., Johnson, K. M., & Zhang, L. (2016). Cultural differences in
moral judgment and behavior, across and within societies. Current Opinion in
Psychology, 8, 125-130.
Lim, N. (2016). Cultural differences in emotion: differences in emotional arousal level between
the East and the West. Integrative medicine research, 5(2), 105-109.
Ray, D., & Poonwassie, D. (2017). Education and cultural differences: New perspectives.
Routledge.