Our perception of what is right or wrong is often influenced by our culture. Morality refers to the principles that determine the extent to which an action or thought is wrong or right and as such culture influences morality. Cultures vary in their concepts and practices. It is interesting to note that the view of morality differs to since it is founded on a cultural basis and cultures are not universal. However, there are some aspects of culture that are unanimously agreed upon by many cultures, though not absolute, but they can qualify as universal elements of morality. Good examples of these universal moral aspects include the obligation to help those who are in need, kindness to the elderly, respect for parents, respect for human life, avoiding sexual relations with family members and also human freedom.
The world is a cocktail of cultures. All these cultures meet and interact at one point. Keeping in mind that there are differences in these cultures, it is obvious that there is usually some confrontation or disagreement when the cultural encounters occur. What an individual regards as morally correct may not be the same for another individual, so a conflict occurs. There is, therefore, need for tolerance and appreciation of different cultures. Cultural relativism states that there can be no absolute morals since cultures are different and they are the aspects that shape morality. This is an impediment in solving the conflict that arises from cultural encounters. In order for tolerance of different cultures to exist, there has to be the understanding that cultures, despite being unique entities can agree on some aspects. These aspects may not necessarily be absolute, but they can be used to form widely accepted principles of morality. These universal principles of morality can be used to foster tolerance and appreciation for other cultures.
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