Respect is a major element of our cultural values. In Pakistan, children are taught to respect their parents, teachers and elders throughout their upbringing. By the time they reach the age of maturity, respecting people around them becomes a major aspect of their personality; whereas in Canada respect seems to be slowly disappearing from their culture. Their children are given too much of freedom at a very small age. Children over there are given the authority to report their parent’s unnecessary strict behavior to the police and be taken away from them. This power that their children are given at a very small age somehow reduces the level of respect they have for their parents or which their parents deserve. Leaving your parents on the mercy of old age homes is a very common practice over there. Once a person gets self-dependent he just leaves his parent’s house and gets shifted to a new one and everyone thinks its okay. In Pakistan, any person who engages in such behavior is considered ill-mannered and such acts are seen as unethical and immoral. We are supposed to respect our parents at all times, even if they are extremely controlling and sons live with their parents and take care of them when they are old and weak because that’s what is the right thing to do. Our parents spend their whole lives working really hard so that they could give us a good standard of life so when they are old and weak it’s our responsibility to ensure that they spend a happy and peaceful life. I have spent a good part of my life learning to treat my parents with love and respect and I would retain this very strong cultural value of Pakistan.
Teachers in our culture are also given a lot of respect. According to Pakistani culture teachers play an important role in shaping a child’s personality and career so they deserve a great deal of respect from them ; whereas in Canada people’s opinions differ in this matter. In Canada teachers are made fun of behind their backs and are obeyed out of fear and obligations rather than respect. Respect, in general, is not given much importance in Canadian culture and in this matter I would like to retain my own cultural values where even teachers are considered as second parents.
Fashion in Canada allows people to do a lot of things which, in Pakistan, would be considered extremely unethical. For instance, people in Canada are allowed to dress themselves however they want and there are no cultural obligations as to how much they should cover themselves. They believe a little too much in personal freedom of appearance. People in Pakistan, especially females, are supposed to cover themselves properly and those who fail to practice these values are not seen with as much respect in the society. Tattoos and excessive piercings are also considered pretty normal in Canadian culture. Their young adults are covered in tattoos and piercings at every possible part of their bodies and nobody seems to think it’s unusual; whereas in Pakistan boys are not supposed to have piercings at all and for girls, piercings on any part other than one’s ears or nose is considered immoral. Tattoos are completely off-limits for everyone in Pakistan regardless of their gender. It’s also pretty normal for girls to shave their heads completely out of fashion in Canada ; whereas in Pakistan having long hair is considered a sign of beauty and girls don’t shave their heads unless it’s a matter of life and death.I, being raised in Pakistani culture will always make sure that I dress appropriately at all times regardless of the place I am living in and will refrain from getting excessive piercings and tattoos.
Food is another cultural aspect in which the values of the two countries differ greatly. In Canada having pork and alcohol in daily meals is perfectly normal and accepted by the society. Infact their meals and parties are considered incomplete without these things whereas Pakistani culture completely prohibits the use of pork and alcohol in food or drinks except in medicines when it is for a medical purpose. The consumption of pork or alcohol is a complete taboo in Pakistan and completely unacceptable and highly condemned by the Pakistani culture. I will retain this cultural value as well and will completely refrain from the use of pork and alcohol regardless of what the people around me are doing.
The concept of live-in relationships and single-parents is very common and acceptable in Canada. Infact such people are even given extra medical and social benefits at jobs. Marriages are not considered necessary for getting intimate with someone and people often don’t even get married at all; where as in Pakistan there’s no concept of an intimate relationship without marriage and getting involved in such behavior is seen as extremely unethical, immoral and is not supported or accepted by the society at any cost. Such people are hardly given any kind of respect and when such activities are revealed, they cause a lot of difficulties for them in their social, academic or professional lives.I think very highly of this Pakistani cultural value in particular and will definitely follow it in Canada as well.
Canada’s cultural values also differ when it comes to divorce rates. Getting a divorce in Canada is completely acceptable and people’s social lives are not at all affected by it which makes the divorce rates way much higher in Canada than in Pakistan. Since a divorce does not affect one’s social or professional life negatively, people do not try hard enough to make their marriages work thus resulting in a divorce on small issues which could have been resolved otherwise and also affecting other related people’s lives negatively.In Pakistan , once someone is divorced,he/she is faced with a lot of social pressure as divorces are relatively less acceptable and people are not supposed to opt for them except in extreme situations when it is absolutely necessary and there is no other way to resolve the conflict.People are expected to do everything they can to make their marriages last. All of these facts make the divorce rates in Pakistan lower than Canada ,so basically Canadian culture openly accepts divorces where Pakistani culture is a little reluctant in this matter.
Pakistani and Canadian cultures vary largely in their values regarding attitudes towards people, fashion, food, and relationships. Over all the Canadian culture emphasizes a little too much on freedom in every aspect of life whereas the Pakistani culture is a little conservative. I have been brought up in a way that all these Pakistani cultural values literally define my personality and therefore I will retain them even when I move to Canada because I think that these values are important for a person’s character and a better life.