I remember an academic advising session during my graduate school years. I was discussing with my adviser which courses to take next, which programs and concentrations best fit my academic and career objectives, etc. At that time I was in a program emphasizing cross-cultural studies, and I was beginning to wonder whether I should focus on core academics more (which I was lacking), or continue with the cross-cultural program which used up all my electives on intercultural studies courses. This medical-doctor-turned-a-fellow-grad-student-and-a-part-time-academic-adviser, who also happened to be an Asian-American with lots of cross-cultural experience of his own, said emphatically:
“Peter, no matter what you do in the future, you will always be working in a cross-cultural context, so you should just stick with this program and get all the help you can get.”
Although I had a more monotonous view of life and work at that time and didn’t fully grasp the implication, I stuck with his advice which in time proved to be right. Ever since that time, no matter what I did – whether it be working in a non-profit organization, developing my own business, studying at a language school, or volunteering at a local church – I was always in a cross-cultural situation, dealing and working with people from various cultures, the latest one being Moroccans.
The reality is that it’s not just me but everybody. It doesn’t matter where you are. We are always, constantly in cross-cultural environments. The world is an ever more global, diverse, multi- and cross-cultural, interconnected web. I have a friend who is an Australian citizen, but he was born in Korea and I had met him while he was studying in Atlanta, Georgia in the U. S. We were roommates back then, and we maintained a contact over the years and his latest contribution to my life was designing the logo of my company in a matter of a few days all without talking on the phone, not to mention seeing each other face to face. Could this have been possible 20 years ago? I doubt it. I had once worked in a computer lab at a school, and my manager was a South African and I had Brazilian and Indian co-workers. But these are not really rare stories any more. Nowadays most people have similar cross-cultural encounters in their personal relationships and at their workplace.
On a more macro scale, remember the “De-coupling theory” to which so many economists and financiers adhered until 2007? It’s a joke now that the housing and financial crisis that began in the U. S. has spread all over the world, even – or especially – the emerging economies. Do you use Facebook? It’s not just a western phenomenon but global. There are tens of thousands of people using it here in Morocco. There was even an incident of a Moroccan prince on Facebook which was a fake, and it made Facebook even more famous. It’s a well connected world out there.
However, it seems to me that the world, as more linked than ever before, is connected through very thin threads. Because we are exposed to so many things, people, languages, and cultures, we should be more trans-, multi-, inter-, and cross-cultural, right? But it seems to me that polarization is at work. We may be more connected and linked than ever before thanks to new technologies. But we are not necessarily more interculturally competent or fluent. It has a lot to do with our attitudes. The other day I spent some time with several foreign volunteers who just came to Morocco through a foreign relief and development agency. I was certainly excited to meet them. They were about to be sent to their respective posts around the country. I understand that they are going through culture shock and initial adjustment period. I also understand that they don’t all come well equipped with training and experience in cross-cultural life. But I was a bit disappointed that some of them (not all of them) were showing little interest in having a cross-cultural learner’s attitude. That concerned me a bit.
My philosophy of intercultural life and work is much based on humility and respect. I have not always had this attitude when dealing with people from other cultures to my regret. I am not naïve to think that human race will become any more humble and respectful of others just because we have made a drastic improvement in travel and communication. But because of ease of travel and communication, we are ever more in contact with people and cultures of various kinds. Thus, we can do much more good or much more damage much more quickly. How we approach others will make a difference in this global world. Either we can approach others with arrogance and face the deteriorating relationships, or we may approach them with humility and respect, always willing to learn, truly wishing and striving toward goodness and their wellbeing, even at the risk of being misunderstood. This is how I would like to approach life and work in this increasingly cross-cultural world environment.
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