Culture teaches us what we may expect from other people and what we owe them. Culture includes manners, customs, things we believe, things we believe in, things we consider expressive of the best that is human, as well as the worst. Our culture teaches us certain ways of moving through life, finding meaning in everything we do. But culture is not a single thing, like the background on this page. It is a complex thing composed of many parts, each with a certain integrity, but able to co-mingle, like the gases that mix to create a star, or the fluids that mix to create an ocean.
People are able to behave like modems when they meet.
They exchange signals of all sorts to determine what they can safely and comfortably talk about, and for how long. The conversation breaks off if they don't share certain codes and protocols for maintaining inoffensive contact. A problem arises during this project of increasing tolerance. We see this problem within our own culture. Look at the heart-wrenching controversies centered on abortion or assisted suicide.