Culture

Growing up the word "Culture" always seemed very restrictive to me, because most of our aunties and uncles made us think if we did not greet a certain way we were not raised right. I remember an uncle of mine that insisted I kneel down on a stony surface to greet him.

Usually, I went down to greet him; although my knees might not reach the floor but I made sure I accorded him his respect as an older person especially because of where I come from which is the South-western part of Nigeria. On this particular occasion, I noticed the ground had stones and I opted to gesticulate like I was about to knee down. And he insisted I went on both knees to greet him.

This particular experience has hunted me for the longest of time and that was the idea of culture I had but I can say I have a different ideology now. A definition of culture I like is, "The knowledge and values shared by a society". But I would also say culture to me is how you see people and how people see you based on your upbringing, life experiences and beliefs. These are what shapes us all and what then become our culture. 

Back to the story of my uncle, can I just say after that day I made it a point of duty to avoid him at every family function.