mid-week Connect: 2/22/23 ~ Cultural Longevity
Greetings and Happy Midweek!
Several interesting facets of cultural longevity have come to my attention recently so I thought we would explore this topic together today. It fits into several components of our Global SKILLs content, but today’s focus will be on the HOST - and how we can better understand our cross-cultural HOST (individuals or community) by better understanding the value they place on longevity.
I have been noticing for a while now that ‘young’ people (much younger than me!) often say, “I did (this or that) for many years”. And it strikes me as interesting that they have this perspective, since, in my own cultural perspective, they haven’t even lived “for many years” - much less done one particular activity.
And I wonder where these two perspectives come from?
The ‘many years’ of a young person perhaps comes from a western cultural viewpoint which places value on longevity in terms of doing something - a career path or perhaps a particular service rendered. So, if a young person has worked, say, for 2 or 3 years at one thing, in the scope of their life experience - that is a long time.
On the other hand, the “youth thinking they have longevity” view comes instead in many cultures from a value placed on longevity as measured by life experience, so “many years’ would mean decades at least…maybe longer!
We can see how it is important to understand these two very different perspectives, for example, in a business culture, where older workers have younger managers - each thinking their ‘many years’ are of value, in terms of their authority, skills and work responsibilities. Exploring the concept of longevity together could mean a successful work experience, with mutual appreciation as each brings what their ‘many years’ has given them to offer.
How about you ~ what’s one thing you have done “for many years” and enjoy offering to others?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check out the Global SKILLs LINKs below for more on longevity.
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Until next week,
Betsy
Connect - Related Topics:
11/18/20 - zones, focus on Blue Zones (for the Connect post (scroll down here to see that post) ; for more on Blue Zones: https://www.bluezones.com/2014/03/blue-zones-history/
Global SKILLs LINKs
~ cultural longevity - a study: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330621/WH-1997-Jul-Aug-p14-15-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
~ edible longevity: https://recipesforholidays.com/longevity-noodles/
~ marketing longevity: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/algerian-coffee-stores-london-soho-spc-intl/index.html
Notes
* Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:
3 Dimensional Dynamics Model: 1st dimension = HOME ; 2nd dimension = HOST (which we explored this week); 3rd dimension = HARBOR)
PROACTive Learning Strategies: PRO = PROfile, PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration and Transformation
~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming: betsy.barbour@gmail.com
2023 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
“It takes a community to build a community”
Please Note: this is copyrighted content.
Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)