Western Culture

The East and West are two very different worlds regarding the way Easterners and Westerners think and lead their lives. Religion and culture play significant parts in society in both parts of the world. The way of thinking and the education of each culture differ in so many ways from each other. This paper gives a researched view into the cultures and thoughts of the Eastern and Western worlds and how we think and lead our lives.

Keywords: Eastern, Western, culture, religion, world, education

Eastern and West

The Eastern and Western contrast is mainly based on cultural rather than geographical. Australia is in the East, but culturally is recognized as being part of the Western World along with Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States.

The behaviour, characteristics, attitudes and personalities towards love and life are very different in each culture. When Eastern people and Western people travel to each others domain, they will more than likely encounter a culture shock, which sometimes can be distressing and unsettling for both parties, as the way of life can be very different from the one they are familiar with. The East and West have separate attitudes and a different way of thinking towards their lives and the environment around them. Time is one thing that is dealt with very differently between the two cultures. In the East time is flexible when it comes to punctuality, which can be annoying and frustrating for a more punctual and regimented by time

To an Easterner, they think love is speechless. When an Easterner wants to show their affections to someone, they do not tell them how they feel by speech. They show love in actions. Westerners tell someone their feelings for somebody vocally and by demonstrating their feelings with gifts, for example chocolates or flowers. Marriage is very different for Eastern people, as they focus on the compatibility of their partner and take into consideration their educational, social and economic status, as they consider these to be more important than love. In the Western World, people get married because they love each other, and wealth, education and social status may not come in to the equation. One of the reasons why Eastern people are careful about the background of their partner they are going to marry, is because they need approval from their parents, who may not approve to their daughter or son marrying someone who is uneducated and deemed as low in society. Parents from Eastern countries think they have the obligation to choose what and who is good for their children, whereas in the Western World, parents think it is right for their children to make their own decisions in what they do and who they marry, as they want their children to be happy and make up their own