DISCUSSION 1 The culture I chose is Indian culture. India is part of the continent of Asia, and most of it forms a peninsula. The Himalayas mountain is to the north and is bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the southeast (Raphael & Lee). The Indian culture is divided into ranks called castes that people are born into (Raphael & Lee). There is no way to change the caste a person is born into. A high caste is often priests, landowners, and soldiers, while untouchables or no caste do more tedious jobs like washing dishes or cleaning (Raphael & Lee). The Western culture believes that a person can do what they want no matter what social status they are born into While Indian people are very spiritual, they do not have an official religion, but around 80 percent of Indians are Hindu (Raphael & Lee). An important part of the Hindu belief is respect for animal life, and cows are considered sacred and cannot be harmed (Rapheal & Lee). There are over 20 languages spoken in India, including Hindi and English.

The Indian culture believed in a joint family where the parents, children, and children's spouses and offspring would all live under one roof. The oldest male would make the decisions, and the other family members would follow. The elder is respected and considered a foundation of knowledge and wisdom. Elders are obeyed, and old age is a time of relaxation and solitude Santa Fe Relocation, 2018). For example, it is common for the elder to live with their grandchild and are asked for their thoughts on important decisions. A person dies typically in their home; their body is washed, anointed, and dressed before people gather and pray (Santa Fe Relocation, 2018). About 60 % of people in Western cultures die in hospitals, and 20% die in nursing homes (Arnett & Jensen, 2019). In more developed cultures, people often live longer than they would in less developed countries (Arnett & Jensen, 2019).

Since Indian culture tends to have high Hinduism, they follow a Hindu funeral ritual called antyesti is performed 24 hours after a person passes. The tradition is performed at the home of the person that passed and involves family and friends ( Andrus, 2022). The Hindu religion believes in reincarnation; the funeral ritual helps lead the soul toward experiences of self and God (Andrus, 2022). The Indian culture believes in keeping the body of their loved one close after passing. For example, the body stays at the family's home until cremation, typically 24 to 48 hours after passing.

Western culture and Indian cultures both believe in preparing the body for viewing; they are just called different things. Both cultures have a ceremony; while Hindu cultures are performed at the banks of the Ganges River, Western culture will have a ceremony in a church or funeral home (Andrus, 2022). Some of the differences are Western culture sees a funeral as a goodbye and celebration of life, and Indian culture considers a funeral to be helping the soul pass through to reincarnation (Andrus, 2022). Western culture believes in embalming the body and having the body prepared at a funeral home, with a funeral about three days after a person's passing (Woodthorpe & Rumble (2016). The Indian culture views euthanasia in two different ways. When a person is helping end another person's painful life, it is considered a good deed because it is fulfilling their moral obligation; it is also acceptable to euthanasia if used for selfless motives (Andrus, 2022). In different parts of Western culture, death with dignity is considered a sin and illegal, but in other parts, it is considered cruel to force a person to live in pain, and they see death with dignity as a good thing (Woodthorpe & Rumble, 2016). For example, Brittney Maynard moved to a state that legalized death with dignity so she did not have to endure unbearable pain toward the end of her life (Lee, 2015), and Indian culture believes it is their moral obligation to end the life of a person who is in pain (Andrus, 2022).

References

Andrus, B. (2022). Understanding Hindu Death Rituals and Customs. Farewelling. https://www.myfarewelling.com/article/hindu-funeral

Raphael, D., & Lee, P. (n.d.). India Country Profile. National Geographic Kids. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries/article/india

Santa Fe Relocation. (2018). Indian culture. Santa Fe Relocation. https://www.santaferelo.com/en/moving/news-and-blog/indian-culture-family-life-childcare/

Woodthorpe, K., & Rumble, H. (2016). Funerals and families: Locating death as a relational issueLinks to an external site. British Journal of Sociology, 67(2), 242-259. doi:10.1111/1468- 4446.12190

Lee, B. C. (2015). Brittany Maynard's memory is helping us achieve death with dignityLinks to an external site. Time.com, N.PAG.

RESPONSE-Agree with a colleague and offer additional (new) supporting information for consideration.

DISCUSSION 2 In Chinese cultural society Filial Piety is a Confucian concept that is taught to children about how to treat their parents. It includes different forms of support that are emotional and materialistic that are given to parents by their children (Chen et., al. 2016). In Chinese society people support parents with respect, love, being present, obligingness and commemoration. They learn to initiate filial piety duties to parents to have happiness in the family. Filial piety is evolved and immersed in the sociocultural environment of family mutual dependence (Chen et., al. 2016).

In the Netherlands some university students are allowed to live in the same place as elderly residents, this program is implemented to change the negative effects of aging. These students get free rent on a small apartment in exchange for spending at least 30 hours a month with their elderly residents being good neighbors (Reed, C. 2015). The students' interaction with the residents includes watching sports, birthday celebrations and providing company and support when a elderly resident is sick. This helps the residents feel connected (Reed, C. 2015). This program helps to decrease both social isolation and loneliness in older men and women. Isolation and loneliness are the main reasons for mortality in elderly (Reed, C. 2015).

Most people in developing countries die as people have always died, usually at home with their families, by accidents or war. It is usually a highly technical medical event taking place with advanced medical technologies sometimes used to keep people alive. The reality of dying at home is considerably more challenging and difficult for families and especially for caregivers (Arnett & Jensen 2019). Caregivers report a higher rate of stress levels than people whose family member died in the hospital. But dying people and families complain that hospital care is unbiased and dispirited (Arnett & Jensen 2019). Because of discontentment with end-of-life hospital care, the hospice approach is becoming more popular in the United States and developing countries. Hospice care addresses medical and includes physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the person that is dying and of their families (Arnett & Jensen 2019).

Chen, W.-W., Wu, C.-W., & Yeh, K.-H. (2016). How parenting and filial piety influence happiness, parent-child relationships and quality of family life in Taiwanese adult children Links to an external site. Journal of Family Studies, 22(1), 80-96. doi:10.1080/13229400.2015.1027154

Reed, C. (2015). Dutch nursing home offers rent-free housing to students Links to an external site. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/dutch-retirement-home-offers-rent-free-housing-students-one-condition/Links to an external site.

Arnett, J. J., & Jensen, L. A. (2019). Human development: A cultural approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

RESPONSE - Expand on your colleague's posting by offering a new perspective or insight.

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