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Culture

Culture. It can change.

I recently wrote about Culture. It changes (click to read), in which I talked about my views and experiences of visiting many cultures, especially after hearing such comments as “this is *?&$£: culture, and it will not change.”

There have been many instances in our world where culture has changed over night, as against the gradual change we normally experience. Both are changes made to the culture of a group, be it the world population, countries, communities or families, and often it is done with intention.

At the moment the world governments (or most off them) are meeting in the Indonesian island of Bali, attempting to change the habits or culture of the world population in waste and energy consumption, resulting in climate change. Gradually people are becoming aware of the effects of humans, industrial activity and waste is having on our climate. We are seeing extremes of weather, due scientists say on human activity. The culture of the world has to change.

Religion has played a major role in the culture of nations, the way people dress, eat and drink, their behaviours and beliefs. Each of the major religions has sub divisions within them that has developed over time into different cultures and beliefs, Buddhists for example has Taoist Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism, Judaism has Reform, Conservative and Orthodox divisions, Christianity has Roman Catholic, Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Islam has Shiites and Sunnis. Even these have sub divisions in the cultures. (I apologise if I have missed any divisions).

Fashion also plays a role in the culture of nations, often as a result of having to live and exist in the environment the people live in.

The Arabic thobe is very cooling for the hot dessert conditions and the headdress keeps the sun off the head. (see Culture. It changes entry).

wooden shoes white

The clogs of the Dutch, makes it easy in days gone bye, to work in the wet muddy fields, as the mud does not stick to the wooden shoes.

sari

It took generations for these styles of dress to be accepted and to enter into the culture of the population, but then it became the standard dress and culture. When populations moved to different countries to live, for example the Indians and Pakistani people moving to the UK, they took their style of dress, the Indian sari with them. It is their culture, along with their cultural eating and living.

It will take a few generations for this culture to change, as the first generation of immigrants stick rigidly to their cultural roots. As each subsequent generation, second and third, is exposed to the new country’s’ beliefs and culture, they are influenced by them, and integrate them into their own, and culture changes.

In some countries, it is the culture for parents, or elder family members, to arrange marriages, the joining of man and woman, to become husband and wife. As families have emigrated to other countries, their offspring, their children have integrated into the new local communities, going to school, playing with and mixing with other cultures, beliefs and religions. The children meet others, create friendships, fall in love and want to marry outside their own culture and community, which would be normal for the indigenous population. This often causes big problems, as it would be against the cultural beliefs.

Generation by generation it is becoming more acceptable to have mixed marriages in countries where cultures are mixing.

The above takes time.

There are instances were culture changes much more rapidly, and it needs a strong leader. They will change the culture of a nation overnight.

Great or infamous leaders such as Alexander the Great, Hitler, Ghandi, Lincoln, Ataturk (click to read about Ataturk), all changed their nation’s culture very quickly. Hitler changed the relatively integrated and peaceful nations of Germany and Austria into a culture of hatred during the Second World War. Whereas Ghandi used peaceful means to change India. Ataturk changed nearly overnight the culture of Turkey from the days of the Ottoman Empire to modern day Turkey.

It only takes one strong determined person, a leader, a business man/woman to change culture.

Consider a business. If the owner, the CEO, the chairman decides a new policy, to introduce new ways of practice, he will first train and change the management structure. In turn the management will train their supervisors and they will likewise train and implement the changes to the staff. Thus, the culture of the company changes. When the company’s culture changes, it changes how its’ customers use the company and its’ products and facilities.

The world population is becoming overweight, obese, as our eating habits, working and leisure activity change. We are moving away from our cultural behaviours. We need strong, determined leaders to change the culture of the world, to be more active, be fit, less wasteful, more peaceful and tolerant.

I wonder who that could be?

Categories
Travels

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

As the Turkish people are so passionate about Ataturk, I have made a little research on his history. I am sure I have not covered everything, please excuse me if I have made any mistakes, assumptions, missed anything out. Please add notes to this entry to correct my ignorance, and educate me on the history.

Ataturk

In 1881 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born. In 1893 he enters Military Secondary School at Salonika, and over the next years he progresses through various military schools ending-up in 1905 graduating from the General Staff College with the rank of Staff Captain and is posted to the Fifth Army, based in Damascus.

In 1906 he helps to found Fatherland (Vatan) Society in Damascus. There was trouble in the country a Counter-revolution in Istanbul, and in 1909 Ataturk as divisional chief of staff, marches with Union and Progress striking force on the city from Salonika.  By 1911 he has been promoted to Major, and he serves with the Ottoman Empire army against Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. During this time many treaties were made, and it seemed broken, which resulted in Russia, Britain and France declaring war against the Ottoman Empire, in 1914.

Thoughout this campaign the Allies lost many battles, the Dardanelles, the Turkish Straits, Canakkale, the Gallipoli Peninsula, Bitlis and Muş, etc, and the Ottoman Empire lost battles and campaigns to, being forced out of Palestine and Syria, resulting on 30 October 1918, an Armistice being signed between Ottomans and Britain at Mudros. Ataturk had risen to the Rank of Commander.

Between then and 1923, many battles were fought, lost and won, especially against the Greeks in Izmir and Inonu, Sakarya, and many treaties where made, with Ataturk being given the title of “Gazi”and rank of Marshal by Grand National Assembly.

On the 24th July 1923, the  Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Switzerland by Turkey and the Entente powers that fought in World War I. After the conclusion of the Turkish War of Independence, this treaty recognized the Republic of Turkey as a sovereign nation.

On 9th October, Ankara becomes capital of Turkey. Then on the 29th October, the Proclamation of the Turkish Republic was made, with Ataturk as President. This resulted in the Ottoman dynasty being exiled.

Various radical changes were made, including the closing of religious schools, and organized Islam becoming regulated by the state, the abolition of religious courts, the abolition of fez, suppression of religious brotherhoods, and the closing of sacred tombs as places of worship, and the introduction of the Latin alphabet.

Ataturk died in 1938, having change a nation into Turkey as we know it today.

His picture, his statues, his images are every where.

The people still look up to him.