Tuesday, March 6, 2012 (Considerable)

During MUN, students have to address a speech about their cultural perspective. I am inspired by their speeches since they give me ideas about their cultural background. My classmate, Eileen, shares her opinions which truly enlighten me. She said that Americans are more open-minded whereas Taiwanese (Chinese) are more conservative. In America, people often speak directly without thinking since that's how they're educated. People should speak their mind and express their personality. Individualism emphasizes "the moral worth of the individual" and encourages people to achieve their goals with independence and self-reliance. In America, if you hate someone, you will directly speak the truth "I hate you." However, in Taiwan, you will laugh and pretend that it's fine. You will smile and hide the real feelings. You won't say the truth since you are afraid of hurting another. After listening to her speech, I think that I should be more straightforward by speaking my mind, though I will care about others' feelings, too. I'm shy and afraid of speaking my mind. I hope that I can become braver to express both my feelings and opinions in order to reach real individualism.