Rootlessness

Moving to another country has many consequences on the situation of a man's life.One comes face to face with a new culture and way of life.Culture facilitates communication between people.Sharing a common culture means one does not need to explain what one does or says.It becomes a a reference point which one shares with others.It becomes obvious and often disguised for us.

Conflicts can emerge when individuals from different cultures interact.Culture is a pattern of behaviour we inherit from our parents,assimilate and pass over to our friends and relations without indicating what we feel about it.In addition , one can participate in both swedish culture and in my case Ghananaian culture at the same time.Diverse cultures can arise from being classmates who share a common experience from the same school or colleagues or friends from the old homeland.Meeting across cultural lines provides an opportunity for interpreting our view of the world in comparison with others.A sense of purpose is crucial for our self-esteem. Surviving dramatic changes in a persons life such as a divorce or going into exile or emigration to another calls for an inner feeling of coherence which gives us motivation and hope when we are under great pressure.
A persons professional identity or occupation provides the background for how others perceive him.We may lose that point of departure once we migrate and consequently our identity.In the ensuing emptiness we ask ourselves "Who am I now?"What happens when we lose our identity, personal belongings,language,profession al identity , give up our dreams for the future, musik ,way of dressing , theatre among others.
How does one recreate a new identity? Sometimes , we are compelled to adopt a low profile in the process of recreating a new identity.How we are perceived by others has an impact on our self-esteem.Work plays a crucial role in our attempts to recreate our identity.It gives us mental stimulation through the solution of problems and a boost to our self-esteem when an objective is achieved our something is produced.
However the situation changes dramatically when a person crosses national borders.
An example of how cultural conflict between individuals from different nations is illustrated by the refusal of the visiting foreign minister from Iran ,an Islamic state to Sweden to shake hands with the swedish minister Of industries who happens to be a woman while on a visit to Sweden, saying " I come from another tradition."

Learn more about this author, Nils Nielsen.
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