Traditional Western culture is portrayed in several literary pieces until the time of Alexander the Great. Homeric literature talks of events that reveal the true nature of Western culture. There are accounts of war and several conquests. For example, there were the wars of Persians against the Greeks. Traditional Western culture is evident in the practices of the Greek. The Greek were seen as the most civilized. Traditionally, the culture of the West upheld the idea of democracy as an essential part of education at that time. Like all parts of the world, there were deviants from the norms of the traditional societal culture. The early Romans, for example, were violators of the widely accepted culture of democracy.
Traditional Western culture was that marred with violence and need to prove might and superiority. This explains the reason for the several wars and sieges that characterized the lives of Greeks and Romans. All traditional westerners believed they were the most intelligent within their societies. The culture of pride and self-belief became the corner stone of inventions that would later change the world in the post-industrial era. All the various factions of the Western communities had languages whose diction portrayed exuberant confidence and pride.
In the traditional times, the Western society did not have a consideration for gender equity. Women were inferior to men. They had the duty to take care of their husbands’ desires and sire children. Several literature works of the period reveal that women had no right to make decisions or suggest opinions. The ancient Greek’s philosophy, democracy, literature, architecture, art and sciences were the foundations upon which the traditional traditions of the Western culture were laid. The form of dance for the traditional westerners was ballet. In addition, the traditional literary works included epics such as Homer’s liad and Mahabharata. Religion-wise, the society was widely atheists. The westerners worshipped many gods and goddesses and each deity had a particular purpose to fulfill.
The non-traditional Western culture grew upon the principles of Christianity. At the time of preaching of Jesus, the Jews were under the rule of Roman Empire. They received the message of Jesus and became the pioneers of spreading Christianity. As such, the Romans changed the western cultural paradigm. Their views on women changed and they started viewing men and women as equals according to Christian teachings. The fall of the Roman Empire caused interaction of all Europeans and a creation of a new integrated culture. Musically, the nontraditional western culture shifted to concerto, sonata, oratorio, opera, jazz and symphony. These were results of interaction between the Westerners and black and white Americans. They adopted the ballroom dance, the step dance, polka and the square dance all from interaction with the East and America. The west also abolished their atheist religions and embraced Christianity.
References
Henderson, G., & Spigner-Littles, D. (2006). A Practititioner's Guide to Understanding Indigenous and Modern Western Culture. Virginia: Hall Milhouse.
