Being a Doer

First of all, I just want to thank all of you who weighed in on my last post about marriage bashing. It was great to hear you guys have experienced similar snark - and I loved all your suggested responses!

Today I wanted to bring up something I've been mulling over lately. I'm currently taking a "Global Positioning" course for my grad program and it's basically an intercultural communications course. So.... it's right up my alley.

Last week, we read about the ways in which cultures can are analyzed - basically the spectra that are used to differentiate culture groups. One may be high on individualism, while another is on the communal side. Groups may be past, present or future oriented. Cultures may value assertiveness or be more nurturing. It's really interesting stuff.

It's no news to any of us that other cultures are well, different from us. Got that. But what has been really illuminating is learning more about what makes our culture different. One characteristic that really identifies U.S. American culture is our focus on "doing" over "being." Just think how often we ask "How are you doing," "What are you doing," "What did you do this weekend."

I personally am obsessed with doing - something I never really realized before. I love crossing things off my to-do list and feel really glum if I don't do enough over the weekend. Such a strange realization, but one that I hope helps me understand more about myself - and maybe let myself off the hook to do so much all the time. 'Cause sometimes it's ok to just... be.