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Nick Leising Ms. Ingram English 1103 Section 029 November 15, 2012 Why Other Cultures Actually Benefit Ones Health New cultures can be different and strange. They usually entail some things that you wouldnt expect due to the fact that your culture is so different. These differences can even be so intimidating that they cause one to avoid traveling altogether. Younger people may also not even attempt to travel due to monetary reasons. However, this should never happen. There are too many positive reasons to travel and see new cultures to be discouraged by nerves and money alone. Although there are obvious reasons as to why people travel, there is no reason to ignore the health benefits that go along with them. Mental, physical, and even social health are directly affected by other cultures. The effects are almost all positive. While there are some reasons as to why meeting new cultures could be harmful, the benefits greatly outweigh them. Travel cannot be frowned upon just because it can be abnormal compared to what you are used to. Finding out more about how other people live is one of the best ways to improve ones own life. I am going to start with mental health, which I believe to be the most prevalent benefit. The reason why mental health takes a huge effect from witnessing new cultures is that it involves a persons viewpoint. The viewpoint changes how someone looks at life and the people and experiences throughout their life. Seeing how others handle situations can change the very way that you yourself would react. Basically, the point is that you get a better perspective on

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life when you see how life affects others. The best way to do this is learn from other people all over the world. They have grown up with different values and lifestyles from you or even people living in the same country as you. Its obvious that people react completely differently depending on where they are from. Religion is a great example of how diverse cultures and their effects on people can be. First of all, look at how many different religions there are and where they are practiced. There are so many different religions practiced today which include: Atheism, Candombl, Islam, Judaism, Rastafari, Sikhism, Unitarianism, Bahai, Christianity, Jainism, Mormonism, Santeria, Spiritualism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jehovahs Witnesses, Paganism, Shinto, and Taoism. These are practiced all over the world, from the United States, to India, to Japan (Featured Religions and Beliefs).For now I will just look at the study of Buddhism from my perspective if I were to experience it for the first time. Imagine, if you will, that I am traveling to Thailand for the first time in my life. Coming from an Atheist background, I dont really understand the practices that I am seeing. This is not to say I dont respect, they are just different from what I am used to. I would have lived with completely different values and beliefs than those around me. They would lead different lives because of the faith they follow, as opposed to me who does not live based off of faith. For example, someone practicing Buddhism would live with a heavy focus on The Four Noble Truths, whereas I wouldnt really follow any rules besides my moral and ethical values. The Four Noble Truths basically boil down to understanding suffering and curing that suffering (The Four Noble Truths). This would be extremely different from my Atheist background. They would almost have a more structured lifestyle than me. There is nothing wrong with either choice; one just follows certain religious guidelines while the other is based off of ones own values. However,

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this is not to say that you wouldnt be influenced by seeing how someone following The Truths lived and reacted to events. Seeing how they go about this curing of suffering, or even just their understanding of suffering, could change who you are as a person. It might just give you a new perspective on how to deal with your own problems. By merely watching how people act under their own culture and beliefs can change your mental state. You could become more positive towards your own actions; improving your life by actually applying this positivity to what you do. Watching a Buddhist grieve over a lost family member could actually change how some like me grieved after the same event. Some following the Noble Truths may be more positive towards the situation. Seeing someone deal with such a sad event in more positive could deeply affect a person. Watching this might allow me to better react to the loss of a family member and even understand what is happening better. There is also a social aspect involved with the benefits. The most important of these would be improved self-confidence. Studying abroad will help you develop greater selfconfidence, independence, and self-reliance (Office of Education Abroad). Study abroad is similar to all forms of traveling somewhere new. You are essentially forced into adapting to the new situations and lifestyles associated with the country being visited. You may find yourself having to use your limited knowledge of a language try and find get directions somewhere. What if you need to order food and the waiter/waitress does not speak your native language? Forcing yourself to try and explain in a way they understand will show what you are capable of. The need to adapt allows someone to come out of their shell. Different cultures are going to require you to act differently in order to fully embrace the experience. You will realize the potential you have had all along when doing this. Just seeing what you are capable of after

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successfully adapting will give your self-confidence a boost. You will now know that you have the ability to do much more. If you were able to understand a culture you have never before experienced, then you are able to do so much more. The social health benefits you get from this are exponential. Self-confidence will show up in everything you do as a result. Communicating with people will be easier, and therefore further travels will be even more successful. You will be happier and, therefore, more mentally healthy. Just realizing what you can do will change your life in so many different ways. The best way to make this realization is to put yourself into a situation that will make you adapt. Experiencing a new culture is the perfect way to really understand what you are capable of. I will admit that there are arguments that can be made to cause one to avoid traveling. With new cultures come unexpected things that you may not understand. Cultural differences can be so strange they might even be intimidating. The lack of understanding may cause challenges that could easily be avoided. I believe that the best way to stay away from the negative effects of traveling is just to be wary. Think through what you plan on doing and what the consequences may be. If something seems like it may actually be dangerous, just dont take part in it. Find some other part of the culture that interests you and explore that. If you use judgment, no problems will arise. One can also minimize these problems by just traveling more. It seems strange to travel in order to avoid the fears that come along with it. However, the more you visit other countries, the more you will understand them. The more you understand them, the less chance there will be for harmful miscommunication. Another problem associated with travel is money. For younger people, most likely students, traveling to another country can be expensive. There are costs for living, meals, transportation, and any other necessity or

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souvenir. There are ways to avoid very expensive trips while still gaining a better understanding of the area you are visiting. Through study abroad programs there is a possibility to travel fairly inexpensively. This is a way to learn through a structural system. You can still gain the benefits of experiencing cultures first hand without having to invest a large amount of money. Some of the more prominent negative effects are not ones that generally affect the traveler, but ones that have an impact on the country and its residents. Keeping up with tourism can actually cause problems. Government is the one who usually ends up paying for these costs like roads and hotels. Since the government is paying the brunt of the costs, the payments are made through tax revenue. Some of the money also doesnt necessarily go to local business, but instead is earned by large international companies. Residents may even be displaced by the building of hotels by these companies. The influences on cultures by outsiders may also be problematic. Crowding, crime level, and drug use can all be affected as well. An increase in these areas can be very detrimental to an area and the people living there. There is also a risk of increased emissions, littering, sewage, and noise pollution (Simms). These affects, however, have generally already occurred and will not get much worse through further tourism. Government will still have to use taxes to afford running services for tourists, but this is not a huge issue when many areas make most of their money off of tourism. Many cities in Italy, for example, rely almost entirely on tourism for their income. In the end these effects will not really grow more than the point they are at, and therefore, should not stop anyone from traveling. There is more chance you will be a part of the stimulation of a citys economy than the cause of problems for the people living there.

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After looking at the positive and negative effects of traveling, it is safe to say that there is no reason not to take part in the exploration of other cultures. The benefits extremely outweigh the consequences. Learning about differences between each other will lessen the chance of miscommunications and problems. You will become a healthier person mentally, socially, and even physically due to the boost in knowledge and self-confidence. In addition, people from other areas of the world will find out more about your own culture. The chance to learn, teach, and improve yourself is just too beneficial to not take part in. What you and the people you meet will get out experiencing other cultures will last a life time. There is no reason to avoid other cultures when they have such an effect on a person. Everyone should do their best to see how other cultures work; the benefits are endless.

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Works Cited Featured Religions and Beliefs. BBC Religions. BBC, 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. Simms, Carole. Positive & Negative Effects of Tourism. USA Today Travel Tips. USA Today, n.d. Web. 6 November 2012. Study Abroad. Charlotte: UNC Charlotte Office of Education Abroad, 2011. Print. The Four Noble Truths. BBC Religions. BBC, 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.