A Reflection of Western Heritage--Joseph

Inside one of the various classrooms on a regular high school campus lies a question unheard of to the students inside: How did this happen? Not how was the school produced or what are the prefaces that led to the students’ placements into that class, but rather the larger idea behind those questions: How did this happen? The historian would answer by explaining how reform-minded people had influenced voters and the government to instill public education, while the philosopher would answer that the students yearned to search for an even greater purpose within the boundaries of the school and the students would still be in question. The answer is in both of these reasons, yet neither one sufficiently explains the true answer behind such a question. For this answer is based on a platform completely foreign to those students. This answer is sewn through the fabric of history and has come to dominate the present culture that the students participate in. This answer can be described so simply yet represent the most complex of examples. This answer does not only explain the formation of the school and its inhabitants but everything and everyone elsewhere around the world. The answer is that the citizens of the world value education. Yet why do people value this abstract idea which provided such concrete results? The reason is that we all have been constructed to think in accordance with our Western culture and mindset.

In fact, almost every person’s mindset in the world has resulted from the West’s cultural upbringing and eventual world influence. Western culture commands all activities in the world through the controlling of people’s mindset. Yet while an idea that appears to be so authoritarian in its nature, it has produced such beneficial results in the process. This is visible through the rebirth of democracy, the gradual emergence of women's rights, and many other characteristics that seem to be only prevalent in Western-minded countries. But what might be considered a positive result in the minds of those aligned with Western values could also be considered negative in others, even with those who align with Western values. Western culture as its effects are confusing, yet that is where its true beauty lies. This complex idea that can’t really be defined is the main source of problems in the world because it starts amongst us, humans. 
 
The best definition that partially clarifies what Western culture means is the clash of different cultures and ideas that leads to the problems we see today. This was first observed during the birth of modern Western culture, during the Renaissance. The seeds of Greek and Roman philosophy had sewn a blooming flower of a breed never before seen: skepticism. Granted the people of the era lived during a time of little technological advances, their investigation into ancient ideas and philosophies had fertilized their minds towards a curiosity of solving problems and exploration of unknown intellect. This eventually segways into the first clash of culture and ideas. known as the Reformation, taking hold after such skepticism was reproduced towards a different subject. This first clash of ideas set the premise for all other clashes on the future: both clashing parties see a different goal in mind to achieve a more utopian ideal. Upon Martin Luther’s revelation of the Catholic church’s wrongdoing, his ideals clashed with that of the church creating a whole new denomination and thus establishing two different

idealistic views of faith. Yet faith is no longer the only subject that this applies to, which is why our world is so complex, each relaying back to the idea that our mindsets are based upon flashing ideas in an attempt to find an idealistic solution. This describes why Western culture is often viewed as extremely problematic. Yet the idea behind Western culture is brilliant because it helps bring humanity together despite these clashes, which are ultimately based upon our human imperfections.

Altogether, Western culture and its effects are complicated to interpret, yet is best described by the clashing of different ideas and cultures to solve worldly problems based upon human imperfection. This is best visible through historical examples and relationships that relate to Western culture’s modern birth and complexity, proving its inability to be defined. Despite its inability to be defined, it continues to be a topic worthy of debate amongst people for its creations of problems within modern society. Yet such a yearning debate promotes a question worthy of the limelight: Will humanity ever be able to solve its problems if the way we interact with one another is based upon flaws? Maybe not, but now it is known why.