Neither the worker in culture nor the worker in agriculture can be shy of patience or promise in their endeavor. Governmental bodies have cultures of their own. The culture of a particular governmental agency is something to be considered when discussing development and implementation of any policy. As cultural specialists we realize that governmental systems project and reflect deeply embedded cultural qualities and those are manifest in the ideas and attitudes of individual workers, the processes and mechanisms of administrative structures, and the goals and ideals of those with political or administrative power. Artistic expression and cultural heritage play a central role in national legacy, ethnic and regional character, community spirit, and individual and familial identity.
Development can have several meanings when it is applied to culture.
Development may constitute a natural evolutionary process of refinement and growth, or it may mean that external mechanisms are brought to bear on a fragile system that could result in a depletion of intrinsic resources. To return to the horticultural metaphor, living cultures are organic and dynamic and thus require ongoing nurturance and sustenance as would any ecosystem. In a historical context, changes in cultural traditions most often occur gradually and on multiple levels over long periods of time. Development insensitive to artistic heritage and cultural context, motion without memory, often results in depletion of artistic resources, diminution of cultural diversity, and disorientation with regard to community and ethnic identity. Loss of cultural memory has the potential to induce something akin to a grieving process on a broader social scale in a community and that can manifest itself through a number of the stages and symptoms similar to those that occur when we experience deep personal loss, including denial, anger, disillusionment, etc.