Culture and Change through Multiple Changing Lenses

Think of the atmosphere as you walked in the park on a hot summer’s day.
That’s culture.

Think of how you felt as you were invited into a stranger’s home to share a pot of tea.
That’s culture.

Think of your thoughts as you observed the behaviour of security staff and sanitation staff at your nearest airport.
That’s culture.

Think of the religious ceremony you observed, and your thoughts while observing.
Think of the variety of possible reasons that each participant in the ceremony is attending.
That’s culture.

Think of how each participant in the above ceremony might react if you, a stranger, asked to hold a conversation with them.
That’s culture.

Think of the atmosphere in the lively market you visited during your last trip to Asia.
That’s culture.

Thank of the how you felt and what you observed as you entered your place of work this morning.
That’s culture.

Think of that phone conversation with a colleague who didn’t like your approach to tackling a problem.
That’s culture.

Think of your thoughts as you observed women doing heavy labouring on the construction site in India.
That’s culture.

Think of how your children greeted you when you arrived home yesterday evening.
That’s culture.

Think of that politician’s speech you listened to on yesterday’s evening news.
That’s culture.

Think of that time you observed the police in the street apprehending somebody.
That’s culture.

Think of the long walk you may have to take to the gate in order to enter the beautiful park whose upkeep is financed by your tax contributions.
That’s culture.

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Now … think of the same scene on a different day, reflecting how you felt, what you observed, how you felt about what you observed on this different day.
That’s culture.

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Now … observe yourself thinking and seeing and feeling these thoughts and scenes and feelings … and ask yourself …
Why … am I thinking/seeing/sensing what I do?
That’s culture.

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Now … slow down … perhaps close your eyes … and imagine each of these scenes again, with the other person/people observing you …
That’s culture.

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Culture is so multi-facetted, nebulous in nature and above all, it’s alive. It is what you think and feel about what you observe. It changes … continuously. It has multiple influencers that themselves change, as does the manner in which they influence. It’s messy, very messy.
And of course, your perspective is only your perspective … through your lens … in a particular moment.
Others will observe the same event and see/feel/sense differently. They each have their own lens.
This is culture.

Culture has no categories; no boundaries. It changes and evolves at every moment. It is so difficult to pinpoint yet it has such a strong presence. It lies at the core of our lives, how we perceive absolutely everything in the world. It is the soul of society, organisations, families, communities … experienced differently by each member of these groups … transcending contexts.

This is culture …

The continuously evolving dynamic interaction of mindsets and gutsets of actors in the system(s).

 

Now …

Think of the difference between your home city today and 20/30/40 years ago.
That’s culture change.

Think of the environment in any office or factory today and compare it with real stories of the same place from 20/30/40 years ago.
That’s culture change.

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Think of how you see the world differently today compared with 10/20/30 years ago.
Without doubt, you’ve learned a lot in that time.
That’s change.

Change is ubiquitous.
It’s evolution.
Cultural Patterns change. These patterns change the roots on which we shape our societies and communities.

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Culture Changes … continuously.
Being alive with culture as it changes is a dance.

Feel invited. Switch on the music. And enjoy … #Dancing with Culture …