Why Should we Talk About Culture?

You were born, fragile, curious, entirely open. You did not choose the words that would surround you, the voices that would hold you, the environment you entered. Yet they were there. From your very first breath, something invisible began to wrap itself around you, softly, steadily.

Then you grew.

You learned to speak, but not just any language, this language.

You learned to behave, but not in any way, this way.

You went to school, you made friends, you were corrected, praised, shaped.
You became an adolescent. You started asking: Who am I? What do I believe?
You felt like you were discovering yourself, and you were.

But quietly, something stayed constant: the way you were seeing and understanding everything.

You became a young adult. You made decisions, career, relationships, values.
You felt they were yours. Personal. Intentional.

And they are.

But they were never made in isolation.

Time passed. Your life evolved.
And so did the world around you.
And so did your culture.

That is why we speak about culture.

Because culture is not distant or abstract.

It is the silent guide of your life.

It influences how you speak, to whom you speak, and even whether you speak at all.

It shapes your decisions, what feels possible, desirable, or unthinkable.
It defines what you value, what you reject, what you strive for.

And the most striking part?

It does not ask for your permission...

You can choose to ignore it.
You can say, “This is not that important.”
But ignoring it does not reduce its influence.

It will continue to shape your thoughts, your reactions, your path, just as powerfully.

So why take time to talk about culture?

Because the moment you begin to see it, you begin to understand yourself differently.

You recognize where your instincts come from.
You question what once felt unquestionable.
And in that awareness, something shifts.

Not freedom from culture,
but freedom within it.

So think about it:
If something influences nearly every dimension of your life, your voice, your decisions, your values, your direction,
can you really afford not to understand it?

https://youtu.be/VYx-CbxXXz4?si=arCLd246Gebw5byB