Culture is a Circle

How do cultural values influence our ways of knowing what’s “right” and “not right”? 

I’ve read a lot of definitions about culture. Sociologists, researchers, and historians can get very technical, but I came across a definition that I found to be the most helpful in understanding our emotional reactions to cross cultural situations. Culture is a circle. Those that are inside are us. Those that are outside are not us.

If you look past the behaviors, heroes, symbols of culture, culture is the way humans find safety and expectations in a tumultuous and dangerous world. While we recognize food and clothing as culture, the safety of WE exists when we are among people who function in time, conversation, uncertainty, and group orientation as us. That is where connection happens. In a world on the precipice of AI involved in all aspects of our lives, it will still come down to knowing who is WE, and how we create space for those who are NOT US. 

This seems so intangible. How do we get understanding the aspects of culture that create this kind of safety? This is where Hofstede’s cultural dimensions come in!