The One Is the Many, the Many Are the One

---------------My insight in intercultral communication

Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day. If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

At the bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique human being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.

Here is a personal story which might illustrate my point clearly. Back three years ago, I was assigned to be a interpreter for a Russian couple, Nicolay and his lovely wife Natasha, who were working as ophthalmologic doctors in our hospital. Well, don’t get it wrong, they spoke English. At the end of the exchange programme, we end up to be very close friends, so I was invited to their apartment for a departing dinner. At the end of a wonderful meal Natasha asked if I would like a banana. I politely declined and thanked her, and explained I was most satisfied with the meal. But the whole while my mind was racing: "What do I do? Do I offer her a banana even though they are as close to her as they are to me? What is the polite thing to do?"
"Would you like a banana?" I asked Natasha.
"Yes," she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. "What now?" I thought.
"Which one would you like?" I fumbled.
"That one," she pointed at one of the bananas. So all the while thinking about Russian politeness I picked the banana Natasha had pointed at and peeled it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Natasha and Nicolay's faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I was proud of myself, and try to let my other friends know that in Russia, the polite thing is to peel the bananas for the ladies.
"Oh no, Lance," another Russian friend later graciously corrected me. "In Russia, when a man peels a banana for a lady it means he has a romantic interest in her.” well, you can imagine, I was shocked, how embarrassed I felt.
Thank god, later, the couple accepted my apology, but I learned that certain lessons have to be learned the hard way.

Differences between people within any given nation or culture are much greater than differences between groups. Education, social standing, religion, personality, belief structure, past experience, affection shown in the home, and a myriad of other factors will affect human behavior and culture.But are we really that different, or may be not, I would like to talk about this tomorrow.