How can we as a global society and as individuals shift our response to conflicting beliefs and perspectives to reduce harm and destruction?”
My goal was to focus on the question, “How can we as a global society and as individuals shift our response to conflicting beliefs and perspectives to reduce harm and destruction?” My target was to understand the results that I am likely to get at the end of my studies.
I chose this goal personally since I came from a traditional family. I’m part Laos, and part Chinese. I’ve grown up knowing more about my Chinese culture than my Laos culture, but they both have molded me into the person I am today. They have given me a different outlook on everything and taught me to look at and comprehend things in the way I do now. I do believe that other countries have their own beliefs and values that make up their identity. I wanted to utilize this opportunity to learn more about my Laos culture. I would then compare both understandings of the customs to get solutions on how to reduce the destruction caused by religious conflicts.
Getting to learn aspects of a relatively new culture was challenging at times. Everything from the language to their ways of life, though fascinating, was hard to grasp and eventually get used to. Also, getting to gained the knowledge gotten to solve a different aspect, religion, was not an easy task. Culture and religion, though mostly considered in the same context, have different dimensions, and it took deep analysis to connect the two.
I aim to promote personal and cultural expression, through my research that will eliminate any idea of separation between people of different cultures. With my findings, I hope to make people look not at the cultural aspect when they interact but to consider each other as human beings before anything else. This will go a long way in reducing religious conflicts and promoting peace.