Articles & Links: Library of Cultural Development

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Site Updated : 3 April, 2008

Pablo Picasso. Pot, Wine-Glass and Book. 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. (Image courtesy of Olga's Gallery).

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Of Interest~

Cultural Development

Despite a degree of cultural globalization, which comes as a natural by-product of economic globalization, the world's cultures are still very diverse.  Travel is still a broadening experience, and learning about cultures beyond one's own is still highly educational.  That is, as long as the traveller makes an effort to step outside the familiar at every reasonable opportunity.  If the American visiting Paris eats only in the local McDonald's he (or she) will never know how absolutely fabulous real french fries can be when bought from a street vendor in Paris or Belgium (where Belgians and French alike insist the dish really was invented). Likewise, if the same American in Paris spends his only free day at the Paris Disneyland instead of the Louvre, one can't help but feel that a wonderful opportunity at mind expansion has been carelessly squandered.

The superficial differences in food and customs aren't the only ones that become apparent when we travel, however, especially if we take the time to meet and get to know people along the way. The most important benefit that comes from learning about other cultures is the gradual understanding of how other people think.  Some of our prejudices are challenged when we look at situations through the eyes of others, and we may begin to understand that their customs and priorities aren't inferior or superior to our own —just different. We may learn that some of our opinions about other cultures are based on assumptions that have no relationship to reality, or we may simply find ourselves developing new interests and entertaining new possibilities for our own lives.  For instance, who can go to Italy and enjoy that nation's unhurried approach at mealtimes without returning home to make some slight adjustments to their own attitudes toward food and family?

Of course, even without opportunities to travel, one need not miss out on the wonders of learning about other cultures.  As you read this, you sit in front of a powerful time and travel machine that brings countless cultural resources right into your home. But just as with physical travel, the choice is still with us as to whether we stay within the familiar, or venture beyond. If our American friend —after returning home from his trip to Paris where he went to Disneyland and ate at McDonald's—sits down at his laptop and surfs only American pop-culture sites, he never slips off the bands that bind his mind and keep it small. 

In these pages we have tried to cull some of the most informative and interesting world links to help in the 'desktop travel' experience.  We hope you will enjoy exploring the Library of Cultural Development pages.  If you come across fascinating pages in your own travels on the net, please feel free to contact us and suggest their addition to our libraries.  Buon Viaggio!

Featured Painting

Creme de Menthe by Southern California artist, Bruce Hedges