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1. What is culture?

Culture, in its simplest form, is the way of life of human beings. It encompasses all the shared values, beliefs, language, practices, and living of individuals. There is a variety of cultures around the world, and each has its own distinct culture and traditions, which are passed down from generation to generation. People, deliberately and unconsciously, practiced it in their everyday living.

To some extent, a group's culture can influence an individual's character and behavior mostly because it is humans' nature to adapt to what they observed in their surroundings. Hence, it would be plausible for a human to have a notion or belief which originated from his/her culture.

As we know, culture is essential for society to have because, without this, a community may lose its identity. It is a unique trait of humans that distinguishes them from all other organisms. Although other animals have culture, such as the ape, human culture is so complex that it outstands from other animals.

2. Mention and discuss the key characteristics of culture.

There are mentioned ten characteristics of human culture. First is that culture is all-encompassing, which means it includes everything humans do, from the abstract social constructs to the concrete and tangible items that humans made. It is an aspect that affects people's daily activities. The second is that culture is general and specific, general in the sense that all people share a culture, and specific culture because people have a distinctive culture within their region. Third, culture is socially learned, which means a human behavior is not biologically innate but instead formed and developed from his community's social interactions. Fourth is that culture is symbolic. All human society expressed their culture through the shared meanings that they make in their symbols. A representation of what they thought and believed. Fifth, culture seizes nature, which means that culture suppresses humans' natural instincts and how to express them appropriately. It controls what a human should do and not do.

The sixth is, culture is shared. People with similar traditions, backgrounds, and cultures are easier to get along with because they shared a common experience. It is more relatable to interact with someone who has similar value systems and ways of doing things than someone who does not share the same values. Seventh, culture is patterned. This means that even culture can get complicated as it can be, it is patterned, and all parts are connected to each other. Eight, people use culture creatively, which means that although there are set of rules within a culture, a person can still choose or modify to make or create his own. Ninth, culture is adaptive and maladaptive. This implies how flexible human beings are in using their own culture. People can either adjust or simply leave behind a belief that may threaten their society. Lastly, ten is that culture is stable, yet it changes. Culture is considered stable when people retain their traditions for an extended period and is practiced and shared by everyone in the society in the present time. However, culture may change when other people came in and brought their culture with them in that community and tried to abolish that culture. For example, imperialism and the coming of colonizers to their colony destroyed and diffused hundreds of culture around the world

3. Distinguish between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's race or culture is superior compared to other races and cultures. It is based on judging different cultures by one's cultural ideals. People with ethnocentric views believed that their culture is the best or correct means of doing things. Although ethnocentrism promotes a group of cultures' pride, this kind of prejudice led to discrimination and, in its extreme form, one of the causes of violence over cultural lines. For example, Hitler's ethnocentric views about Germans as the superior and Jews as inferior that needs to be dominated resulted in the annihilation of millions of Jews.

Ethnocentrism also happens not just in the international sphere but also in the local—for instance, Filipinos in the southern part of the Philippines, in some cases when working in Manila, experienced discrimination from the people living in the north. Some Tagalogs--a particular culture, thought that they are far more intelligent than the Bisaya in the south, which causes division among this group.

On the other hand, cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism, which is to understand a culture different from one's own in terms of having no subjective judgments. This view can help to develop cultural diversity and understanding of other cultures.

Cultural differences provide a rich diversity worldwide, but it is also one of the root causes of why conflicts between societies exist. I genuinely believed that to avoid disputes among the community with diverse backgrounds and cultures, we should try to be more culturally relativistic to prevent harmful things. Most conflicts occur when we fail to attribute differences between our behaviors and beliefs and others' differences in cultural schemas. We all may have instinctual reactions toward another person's culture's practices, but these reactions do not have to result in horrible events such as social injustices and violence.

4. Why and how does culture shock occur? Have you ever experienced culture shock?

Did it have any adverse impact on your life? Discuss.

Culture shock happens when an individual is exposed to other cultures for the first time. It is the uneasiness individuals feel when he/she encounter estranged or unfamiliar beliefs and behaviors. Culture shock occurs due to an internal—movement between regions in a country or an international migration. Since culture is unique and varies among societies, it is inevitable for an individual to experience and be exposed to other cultures, especially if they live in a diverse and mixed region.

For instance, a person employed in an area away from his/her place of origin will commonly experience a culture shock. In his work, he/she may encounter different views and practices with his/her colleagues and within that society, which will cause him/her discomfort or anxiety. Culture shock may be challenging to handle at first, but as time passes by, people can eventually adapt, accept, and co-exist in his contemporary society.

I never experienced a culture shock in my 20 years of living since I was born and raised here in Caraga. And sad to say, I have never been able to live and socialize with people living in a diverse community. I may have traveled to nearby provinces from time to time, but our culture is similar to the neighboring towns. Hence, I could say that I haven't yet truly experienced having a culture shock.

5. Identify at least five cultural beliefs and practices that you think are universally

practiced among all Filipinos?

Filipino has a rich, diverse culture influenced by more than three centuries of Spanish, American, and Japanese occupation. But even before the coming of colonizers, our ancestors already have their ways of life devoid of western ideas. One of them is worshipping nature, the anito, and Anita. Due to western influences, our country has become a mixed culture or, to say, a marriage of West and Eastern culture and traditions.

One common culture all Filipinos in the archipelago believed in is the idea of maintaining and giving high respect for social hierarchy. Filipino's, especially the youth, have high regard for people older than them. It is considered disrespectful for a Filipino child to make decisions without first consulting his/her parents. It is also not acceptable to talk back to people who fed them and anyone more aged than they are. In the Philippines, the elders demand to be obeyed and respected. And adults exercise absolute authority over children. This kind of belief is manifested through the actions of saying "po" and "opo," pagmamano and respecting every word and decision the adults say. Filipinos are very collectivistic, so they regard their family and societal structure highly.

Another common practice and tradition of the Filipinos are celebrating festivals or locally called "fiesta," influenced mainly by the Spaniards. Fiesta is a year-round celebration in honor of respective patron saints. Every year, Filipinos, wherever parts of the Philippines may be, participate in town celebrations to see the colorful and exciting activities. People from other provinces would travel to take part in fiestas. This is also when people open their homes to neighbors to share a feast and a time to socialize.

Pamamanhikan or the Pamamalae is also one culture universally practiced by Filipinos. In the old days, a man who wanted to marry a woman must go through the arduous process of "pamamanhikan" in the woman's village to show that he is worthy of the woman's hand. This courtship phase will take months, sometimes years, to ask a woman's hand from her parents. Usually, the parent's decision will determine the approval of the marriage. When a man's worth is proven, and consent is given from the parents, the man must now give his dowry, lend his possessions, and give a certain amount of money to arrange the marriage. Although most Filipinos nowadays don't do this anymore, there are still communities that live up to this tradition and continue to practice the concept.

The practices and beliefs of Filipinos are mostly centered on their religion's culture. Catholicism, the dominant culture in the Philippines, impacts people's way of living. Unlike their neighboring countries in Asia, Filipinos are the only countries in Asia that practice Catholicism and belief in Monotheism. Most Filipinos believed only in one God, as the creator of heaven and earth and the owner of all things in this world. Filipinos' values are derived from the teachings of the Bible, their sacred scriptures, and they live up to these commandments and words.

Another common culture Filipinos have is resiliency. This behavior or attitude builds their strong persona as a nation. Annually, the Philippines faces numerous disasters owing to its location. Despite this, no matter what storm, earthquakes that pass through, or problems occur or encounter, Filipinos are quick to stand back and face their problems, which earned them the title of a resilient nation. The recent typhoon that hit Northern Luzon in 2020 and the Filipinos' quick recovery showed how resilient they are from these disasters. Even though they are having a difficult time, Filipinos still have the boldness to put a smile on their faces despite what they have gone through. However, it is sad to say that the Filipino government often exploits this cultural trait of Filipinos. Even though Filipinos rely solely on their own to recover, it should not be forgotten that the government should be held accountable for their lapses in their worse response to the calamities. As a positive trait as it can be, sometimes being resilient is often romanticize. Filipinos should realize that the crisis and social issues they faced and recovered from should not be praised because Filipinos are resilient not because they choose to but because they need to be. The time should come that Filipinos will no longer need to withstand another tragedy or mismanagement in the country.