Cross-Cultural Issues

The other day me and my friend were discussing about cross-cultural issues. Most of the things we happened to agree upon except for one: cross-cultural marriages. She had a more orthodox opinion on it. She didn't think it could work. But I think it’s a beautiful concept, yet there are many challenges that come along with it. Those who enter such a relationship can't just think about themselves; they should also think about their child. They have to put in more effort compare to other parents. There is always a fear that the child might loose its identity. The orientation of the child should be so that it grows up to respect both the cultures. In addition, small issues such as the name of the child can create a problem. It may not be more than a meager issue for the parents, but it could be a big issue for the relatives; the society. It’s best for the parents to live in a host country to avoid over interference of the relatives.

This kind of relationship is very intellectually stimulating and requires "out of the box" thinking. I guess, such couples can accommodate other religions/ cultures along with their own and are very broad minded.

Besides, "Emotions are so stupid, they don't understand any logic", if you love someone, you can't really help it.

However, I do believe that as long as one is not forced to convert into another religion, multi-cultural marriages are fine. Because if you are forced then you are not being accepted for whom you are. Anyways, by doing few rituals, no one can convert anyone into a different religion because religion is not a matter of only following rituals. It is rather something that one believes in; religion is a 'way of life'. It is a reflection of oneself.