Cultural Beings: A Framework for Understanding Culture

As a white female, perhaps the most challenging aspect of my cultural being is the lack of cultural identity. I was born and raised in a cosmopolitan American city, which makes it hard for me to trace my cultural roots, as do individuals with indigenous cultures do. Nonetheless, the lack of a traditional affiliation is a positive contribution to my personality since it allows me a liberal perspective of life. I am an open and liberal-minded person who appreciates cultural and religious diversity and inclusivity. Such a character is instrumental in my career as a social worker since it facilitates my interactions with individuals of different backgrounds without any form of discrimination or favoritism (Beckett, Maynard, & Jordan, 2017) . A social worker needs to be able to embrace the various cultures they are exposed to show compassion and empathy, which are excellent skills in the said line of work. 

Identifying myself on religious grounds, equally gives me an edge of what love and acceptance are, and how I can incorporate these in my line of work. The most significant religious teaching is love, which Jesus Christ himself taught on. As a Christian, I believe it is paramount to love my neighbors as I love myself. I incorporate love in my social work in the sense that it allows me to connect with my subjects to work towards attaining the kind of a solution that will help them become better people in society (Beckett, Maynard, & Jordan, 2017) . Love in the religious setting is about embracing the weak, the poor, and the minority groups, who are in plenty in the world today. There are victims of political instability, poverty, discrimination, and so forth who need to feel loved and appreciated. My Christian roots allow me to reach out to these people in service without being prejudiced. Like Jesus himself instructed his disciples not to judge or hate, I take the same approach in my line of duty as a social worker. 

References 

Beckett, C., Maynard, A., & Jordan, P. (2017).  Values and ethics in social work . Sage.