Do you ever wonder why we do the things the way we do? All of our thoughts, words, and actions revolve around a certain belief system. This belief system is not something that we are born with, although it is completely dependent on the culture we are born into. Every culture has its own general belief system that has been passed on from generation to generation. The belief system of a particular culture is usually conditioned into the belief system of its members to share the same beliefs, and is usually conditioned through everyday living within the culture. This belief system consists of the different ideals on a wide range of subjects, such as morality, race, etc. One can easily see how these beliefs change from culture to culture by looking at the difference in ideals of a third-world country, such as India, compared to the highly developed country that we live in. By this comparison we can see how cultural heritage does in fact play an important role in the development of our own belief system. My own cultural heritage, like many Americans, is virtually untraceable. My ancestors were immigrants from all across Europe; therefore, I really do not have a particular set of beliefs that have been passed down through the generations. However, I do feel the basis of my own beliefs system is the product of living within two sub-cultures; white, middle class America, and Generation -X. Although the general beliefs of these sub-cultures are very different, and in some cases contradictory, they all have equally significant roles in the development of my own belief system. In the white, middle class America has passed its beliefs onto me of the security of living in a nice house and there was always food on the table for every meal. Even though most of the times it was not what I wanted to eat, it still kept me away from the hunger of less fortunate people. Another belief that had me conditioned, as a young girl is that of a lack of comfort around minorities.
