Multicultural Advocates, Inc.

Strengthening Community through Equality and Empowerment


An Asian View of Cultural Differences

Dr. Mai Van Trang

We live in time.
We are always at rest.
We are passive.
We like to contemplate.
We accept the world as it is.
You live in space.
You are always on the move.
You are aggressive.
You like to act.
You try to change it according to your blueprint.
We live in peace with nature.
Religion is our first love.
We delight to think about the meaning of life.
We believe in freedom of silence.
You try to impose lyour will on her.
Technology is your passion.
You delight in physics.
You believe in freedom of speech.
We lapse into meditation.
We marry first, then love.
Our marriage is the beginning of a love affair.
It is an indissoluble bond.
You strive for articulation.
You love first, then marry (marry and marry).
Your marriage is the happy ending of a romance.
It is a contract.
Our love is mute.
We try to conceal it from the world.
Self-denial is a secret to our survival.
We are taught from the cradle to want less and less.
Your love is vocal.
You delight in showing it to others.
Self-assertiveness is the key to your success.
You are urged every day to want more and more.
We glorify austerity and renunciation.
Poverty is to use a badge of spiritual elevation.
In the sunset years of life we renounce the world.
You emphasize gracious living and enjoyment.
It is to you a sign of degradation.
You retire to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Published in Reasons for Living and Hoping: The spiritual and Psycho-Social Needs of Southeast Asian Refugee Children and Youth Resettled in the United States.

Contact us: Denis.Tucker@MulticulturalAdvocates.org OR use our Web Form