I have personally served in the United States Army National Guard since 2014. I’ve gained great experiences and friendships that will last a lifetime. While serving I have gained appreciation and understanding of many people who are from different walks of life. From people in great financial decisions honoring family legacies to people who were saved by the army from their adolescent past it’s a true melting pot. My experiences will lead to better professional and personal relationships in the future.
Throughout our lesson on Doing Business In The Middle East I’ve found it extremely interesting. When cultures meet historically it has had huge ramifications on history. With that being said we learned many different cultural practices that are present in the middle east. Arabs and Muslim practices were on full display throughout our lesson. I am planning on relating these practices to a personal experience I have in the military.
I have a friend in the Army National Guard who is a practicing Muslim. He prays and eats to the standard of a practicing Muslim. While in training environments a menu option is always available for him due to his refusal and beliefs in eating pork. While time for praying isn’t always scheduled there is enough free time for him to complete his praying. He doesn’t provide a hindrance to the unit at all.
Some people would say this catering to beliefs probably hurts a unit, I would say the opposite. I know for sure the military gained a great soldier through these allowed practices. I understand this initiative was created so the military could allow for translators and foreign communicators. The entire military is allowed to practice their beliefs and this is no different. I look for my friend to have a successful career in the military.
The teachings in this class apply directly to me. I see the real world benefits of understanding cultures. Business has become so global that it is necessary to understand ethics world wide as well as practices. I look to continue learning more in this class. I now have more insight into my friends culture from a business perspective.
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.)
kzb80 says
Hi,
Thank you for sharing this and for your service. I think you did a great job at revealing how your friend’s differences were an asset to your team as oppose to a hindrance. I think the mindset of those who have an issue with these differences stem from a fear of change. Life is a balance and religion is a choice, a daily sacrifice and a mindset. It’s something that you have to learn to incorporate into your life yet understand that not everyone will want to take part, hear or see where you align your heart and what comes with that. Therefore it’s up to the individual to learn how to live the lifestyle that comes with the religious choices, while understanding and respecting other’s views in hopes that the same will be done in return. I think your friend did a beautiful job at finding that balance and understanding. Hopefully, more people will learn to set fear aside and become quicker to listen and help each other. At the end of the day under our skin color, passed our differences in race, ethnicity, to hair color and more, we are all created with the same DNA. (Grant, 2019)
Reference:
Grant, B. (2019, September 1). Does Our DNA Make Us All Unique or All the Same? Retrieved from https://www.the-scientist.com/editorial/does-our-dna-make-us-all-unique-or-all-the-same–66307
Markeia Gordon says
Hi,
Thank you for your service. I appreciate the experience that you shared with about friend who is in the National Guard. This shows how important it is to respect one another and keep an open mind so that we can learn from each other. To learn is just the process of thinking and remembering which is related to being considerate of others (Morah, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 104). I found lesson 7 interesting too because it brought out how Muslim beliefs are a way of life; when you think of it this way you have an understanding of how important it is to them (Morah, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 298). I enjoyed reading your outlook on how it is not a hinderance but an appreciation for your fellow man. What do you think would be a good take away for others to apply from your experience?
References
Morah, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Routledge.