As we head into the vacation months of July and August, I am struck by the gift of travel. I am heading to Italy and look forward to experiencing the sites and sounds (and food!) of that beautiful country.
I look forward to exploring the differences in our cultures. Even though I am of Italian heritage, there is no doubt that with each passing generation, my cultural experiences as an Italian have become more watered down, more homogenized. While many may try to maintain as many traditions as they can, ultimately, families that have immigrated here from other countries often take on the nuances of the culture in which they live. (There was a famous study that studies Japanese people eating an American diet: they became overweight in a very short amount of time!)
As lawyers, we are lucky enough to serve people from different cultural, social and geographic backgrounds. Being open and compassionate is a great gift we can bring to our clients. Learning and listening to what they want and what they see for themselves may be very different from our own thoughts and goals.
And that’s okay. It’s this diversity that brings new viewpoints on how to solve the world’s problems, how to live in a global community and how to enrich all lives.
Call to action: Be open to the diversity around you. It’s so easy to be cocooned in our own little world, in our own routines and on our own cultural path. Think of yourself as a citizen of the world and not just a specific country, and see if this changes how you think about the world today, with its call for separateness and divisive policies.
As always, let me know your thoughts and progress! And if you like this blog, please share this, and visit my website at www.thejoyfullawyer.com to subscribe!
