Introduction
Someone can say that s/he has his/her personal freedom when they act in their own freewill and other people accept them as they are without judging them (Kateb, 16). I am a Chinese student currently studying in the United States. Going to the US has helped me to identify my uniqueness and live in multicultural society. My interaction with people from different cultures has enabled me to discover that I am not only a Chinese but I have some uniqueness as an individual. There is a belief that since most Chinese resemble each other physically, there is little uniqueness between them but this is not the case. I have to admit that finding one’s identity is hard to all people and I am also finding it difficult to find my identity. I have discovered that I am as unique as everyone else in the world and my stay in the US has continued to help me identify my uniqueness.
It was challenging for me to discover that I am a unique person when I was in China. China has the highest population in the world with more than 1.2 billion people. It is true that many Chinese resemble each other physically. In China, I was used to so many people with whom we share a common identity such as language, physical appearance, culture, food, art, religion among other aspects. I rarely saw myself as being a unique Chinese. At times, I discovered that my hobbies were different from those of my friends, but I thought that I must share those very hobbies with millions of other Chinese people. Before I got exposed to a new culture, it was hard to discover how unique I was from all the other people of my nationality. After reading Emerson’s essay titled “self-reliance” I now know that by assuming myself as ordinary as other Chinese I was conforming to the standards of my people and ignoring the fact that I am a unique Chinese. Emerson states, “conformity makes them not false in a few particularsbut false in all particulars” (para 10, line 9). But conforming and accepting to be ordinary and failing to appreciate that I am unique only leads to loss of time and “blurs the impression of your character” (Emerson, Para 10, line 1).
When in China, I was not fully opened up to the discovery that I am unique even when I am in the midst of many people with whom we share so many things in common. My coming to the US has helped me discover that I am very unique even when I am in China. Right now there is a unique sense of being myself even when I am in China and am not just an ordinary Chinese. This is because uniqueness comes with what we think and how we act. According to Kateb, our thoughts shape our actions and our actions shape our character (17). He adds that our environment has a big role to play in determining how we think. We tend to think most about what we see and hear (kateb, 27). During my stay in China, I was used to seeing the same people, hearing almost the same language and experiencing the same culture on a daily basis. This led me to think in an ordinary way. My stay in the US exposed me to people from different cultures. I have interacted with people from different nationalities such as Britons, Swiss, Latinos, Africans, Australians, Americans, and Indians among many others. This exposure has taught me that each human being is unique and even when one is among people of his/her own culture or nationality, they still hold that uniqueness.
Settling in a new culture and seeking my uniqueness has been challenging. I recall the words of Emerson in which he states “A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition” (para 2, line 7). Opposition and challenges are part and parcel of the lives of all human beings. I am sure that the challenges that I go through such as loneliness are present in the lives of each human being at one time or another. These challenges and opposition do not make me to be less unique. I have discovered that I am very patient and social with people. I make friends easily and I have friends from several different cultures unlike some of my Chinese friends whose friends are mostly Asian. I consider this as an important part of my uniqueness. This uniqueness has enabled me to settle faster in the US and helped me overcome challenges such as language barrier.
When I moved to the United States I had to be self-reliant. I was away from home and with no family members and friends around me I found out that learning to be self-reliant was very important. I had to learn how to budget, shop, wash, cook, clean and study all by myself. I was introduced to a new culture and I had to adapt to life in a new place so that I could settle down properly for my studies. I also had to make new friends and continue with my life in a happy way. I have had to read about self-reliance and get to know about the American culture in a deeper manner. I have had to be not only self-reliant but also accept myself for whom I am. In the words of Emerson “There comes a time(a person) arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion” (Para 2, line 1 & 2). It is the acceptance of oneself that helps one to realize his/her strengths and weaknesses and improve on the weak areas in order to become a self-reliant person.
After discovering my uniqueness in the US, I feel free to exercise the Chinese identity inside me. I feel that some people may find my character as being weird and I wonder if it is right to be so. According to Whitman, it is ok to stay weird, as shown in the poem "song of myself" (Greenspan, 23). Whitman wrote this poem to urge people to appreciate themselves. He urged people to see themselves as irreplaceable in the universe. As such, I think I should not fear to express myself and my uniqueness.
I have been exposed to two cultures; the Chinese and the American cultures and I am sure that I can identify with both cultures. I grew up under Chinese culture and this is the culture that I can associate with most easily. I am used to certain Chinese foods, language, religion, artwork, beliefs, and norms among other cultural aspects. This Chinese culture is simple to learn as compared to the American culture which is a combination of cultures from different parts of the world. While the Chinese culture is strict and a bit hard to learn to a stranger, the American culture is not definite and anything one does seems acceptable. For example, I can eat a variety of foods without having regards that certain foods are to be eaten by certain groups of people which is the case in China. I am also free to greet people in a manner I am comfortable with unlike in Chinese culture where I have to behave in a certain way when greeting people of different ages. I feel that this favors me because I do not have to abandon my Chinese culture or my uniqueness so that I fit into the new American culture.
When I go back to China I believe that I shall be able to fit better into the Chinese culture. My exposure to the American culture has helped me to discover my uniqueness and I shall no longer see myself as an ordinary Chinese. I had mastered my culture before coming to the US and I believe that the discovery of my uniqueness as well as exposure to a mixed culture will make me a better person in the Chinese society. Conclusion
One can say he has personal freedom when they are able to act in accordance with their own freewill without fear of being judged. As a Chinese student studying in America, I have learnt a lot from interacting with people from different cultures. I have also discovered that I am unique whether I am in China or in another country. The Chinese are to resemble each other in many ways and even physically but I realize that I am unique. I was for instance able to make friends with people from other cultures more easily in the US as compared to my Chinese friends. I believe being social is part of by uniqueness wherever I am. Being unique also helped me to settle in a foreign land better and become self-reliant. I have been able to learn a new culture and having discovered my uniqueness along the way, I believe that I am in a better position to fit into a mixed culture such as the American one or a lone culture such as the Chinese one.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm>.
Greenspan, Ezra, ed. Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself": A Sourcebook and Critical Edition. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Kateb, George. Human Dignity. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011. Print.
