Can Family Culture be Passed Down?

The family is the basis for how humans can interact and behave like social beings. They have an important role in educating both moral and social for each of its members. How we communicate and the way we view the world can also be seen based on family teachings. Each family clearly has its own culture and way of educating or communicating from generation to generation, which is timeless. But of course, the family culture that is passed down to each generation will not be the same, there are some that are modified depending on the perspective and thinking power of each person. Every time, every generation, they have needs and mindsets that are increasingly evolving, adapting to the conditions of the surrounding environment. Therefore, it can be said that our behavior is shaped by many sources, with culture being one.

"People are not held hostage by their culture and are not required to learn all of its lessons, but all cultures provide a common frame of reference for people." Samovar et al., p.18., 2016

With the diversity of cultures passed down by families, I asked my parents what teachings were passed down to them and then passed on to my generation. We talked about the culture they absorbed and the culture they got rid of, because according to them, not all the teachings they received were suitable for our generation. And with this conversation, I realized that I absorbed a lot of the values of the teachings that they indirectly applied to me and my brother. The culture is still taught with consideration for the ethnicity of my family, which is Javanese. I am aware that there are many different aspects of Javanese culture that are taught, such as etiquette, manners, speech, attitude, etc. These ethical teachings are in fact many useful in social circles, such as we respect older people, speak softly and politely, according to Javanese culture we can duck or bow when passing someone, and many more.

These ethical teachings are in fact many useful in social circles, such as we respect older people, speak softly and politely, according to Javanese culture we can duck or bow when passing someone, and many more. What my parents taught me varied, from home habits to social habits. For example, when we are at home, we must maintain physical and spiritual cleanliness, offer food, say hello when we just enter the house, say goodbye, etc. For in the social environment, it may be more about how we behave and interact, such as not discriminating against one's ethnicity, race, religion, still trying to be polite even though they are peers, helping when someone is in trouble, and much more. And in our own family, we have a habit, or you can say an obligation where at the end of the day we chat in the family room, telling stories about the day, then we must introduce the people around us either friends or partners, then we also must at least hold open house in the context of gathering with neighbors, whether it's gossiping or eating. This function is to maintain social relations both inside and outside the family because we ourselves are aware that each of us has a busy life, so we must at least make time for quality time. 

With these teachings, at least we still adhere to the moral values of our ethnic group. Even though my parents and I grew up in the city, such teachings cannot be separated from us, just like our identity as members of other religious ethnic groups. The teaching of existing cultural values is intended so that we as the next generation are able to behave and act according to existing morality and norms. Because in fact all cultural teachings, whether social experiences, perceptions of others, and the surrounding environment affect how we view the world (Samovar et al., 2016).

Reference

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2016). Communication Between Cultures. Cengage Learning.