Cultural Reflective Essay: What Is Cultural Sensitivity?

There is a time in every person’s experience when he or she arrives at the stance where arrogance converts to ignorance. Indeed, excessive pride preys on the common individual: the young mother who takes her child to school everyday, the baker who sells his artisan breads at the market, and the violinist who also plays soccer for her school’s team. When Pride triumphs, the afflicted turn a blind eye to people, places, and ideas that fail to conform to their personal values and expectations. Even in a century of globalization, the afflicted may still turn a blind eye to others, refusing to accept or appreciate the traditions and heritages of their neighbors. This calls for cultural sensitivity.

Cultural sensitivity is what you are standing on -- the foundation of your street and your world. Essentially, it is the awareness of the cultural similarities and differences that surrounds

Cultures that meet revive the spirit of Hellenism, fostering an exchange of language and customs. Take a look at Romans, who merged the Greek sublime, intricate marble designs of the proud Artemis and the pondering Athena with works of their own. Take a look at the Native Americans, who taught each other to love every form of life because one must live in harmony with nature and not abuse it. Notice how the cultural appreciation for others drives advancements. My take on cultural sensitivity began even before I was born. Growing up in a world ravaged by foreign interventions and social tensions, my Korean grandfather was compelled to escape to more peaceful country, one less flooded with the looming sounds of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Russian Ground Army. Twelve hundred miles away, my grandmother struggled with poverty in Yangjiang, China, living off the wild grasses and berries that grew in the humid region. How these two individuals met in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States is another story as remarkable as the tale of