Culturul Value - Personal Essay

Sotares, Sean Clint C.

MKA-22

Growing since childhood with my respective family members, one cultural value that I have learned/acquired and somehow have affected my buying behavior is Respect for Elders. Respect is a feeling of admiration or deference toward a person, child, non-human animal, group, ideal, or indeed almost any entity or concept, as well as specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected. It can also be conduct in accord with a specific ethnic of respect. Respect can be both given and or received. It depends on an individual’s cultural reference frame, respect can be something that is earned. Respect is often thought of as earned or built over time. Often, continued caring interactions are required to maintain or increase feelings of respect among individuals. Throughout the world, young people are taught to respect older people. Part of this has to do with how much the elderly can help the younger generation, and it is often people who are too old to work who teach valuable lessons to the younger generation. Respecting the elderly is also a sign of compassion, a trait that many cultures value. Specific situations wherein I am with my grandparents and we go outside(somewhere in SM) and I am the only ones who’s with them, I help both of them especially when they are walking in SM or when we go outside with our family. Another cultural value that I have learned/acquired and somehow also have affected my buying behavior is Pagmamano. Mano or pagmamano is a gesture used in Filipino culture performed as a sign of respect to elders and also as a way of accepting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand kissing, the person giving the greeting bows towards the offered hand of the elder and presses his/her forehead on the elder’s hand. Usually performed with the right hand, the person showing respect may ask “Mano Po” to the elder in order to ask permission to initiate the gesture. Specific situations wherein when the elder is seen for the first time in the day or upon entering a house or gathering.