Values

One of the things that distinguishes people in the west from those living in our part of the world is this: While the westerners try to follow the laws of the society and don't allow pressures of their relatives and friends to influence their attitude towards the law, we give more significance to our contacts compared to the law. There are exceptions to the rule on both sides. The result is that we have stronger ties with individuals and are more strongly attached with our families and friends while they are more concerned about the society in general. One can observe the glaring difference in our respective attitudes on the roads. Because we assume that while driving on the roads the people we confront are neither our relatives nor our friends, our attitude is selfish and often insulting towards others. We would never behave with our guests the same way. In the west, no matter who you are, you will get a decent response from others on the roads. They may not be too keen to invite you as their guests though. The result is that while we have strong family bonds and extended circles of friends, they have strong societies.

By Dr. Khalid Zaheer