"Stop! Don't Step on the Carpet!"

"Stop! Don't Step on the Carpet!" My friend Joonyung forcefully shouted this to me as I casually began to walk into the living room of his home. This exclamation greatly startled me and I was utterly perplexed as to why merely walking on the carpet would provoke such an aggressive response. I was dumbfounded. I said nothing and blankly stared at him in search of an explanation for this outburst. He clearly sensed my confusion and then defiantly pointed at my shoes as if that answered the question. Seeing that I was still confused, he then began to explain to me that in his family they always removed their shoes before stepping on the carpet and that his mother would be very upset if stepped on her carpet with my shoes. I spent the day at Joonyung's house and as the day progressed, I continued to learn new things about the culture and customs of Joonyung's family that were greatly different from my the culture and customs of my own family.

In my Comparative Political Science class our teacher explained that comparing two countries political systems is very similar to comparing two families' cultures and customs. We all have a primary instinct for comparison. To observe is to compare. We all compare. In every aspect of our lives we compare one thing to another. Whether it's comparing America's political system to China's political system, comparing our family customs to other family customs, comparing fried chicken to baby back ribs, or comparing your cute neighbor from home to all the good looking people here on campus. We all compare. As a young boy playing with my friend Joonyung I began to compare the customs of his family to the customs of my family. I observed that they took their shoes off before walking on carpet, they ate different foods, his parents spoke with a different accent than my parents, and there were countless other things that when compared to my family made Joonyung's family seem different and strange. In my class, the political systems of other countries that we're studying will seem different and strange to me.

Despite the differences we notice as we compare, it is important that we use righteous judgment and have an open mind to other cultures. Through my experience with Joonyung and my Comparative Politcal Science class I've learned to appreciate other cultures while still appreciating my own culture. As I go through life, I will continue to observe, compare, and learn. I'm grateful for the knowledge I've gained through these experiences and I will seek to continue learning from other people and further my learning of other cultures.