Horrible and Strange Practice Under the Context of Our Modern Culture Essay

Horrible and Strange Practice Under the Context of Our Modern Culture - Essay Example Initially, it would seem that suttee is such a horrible and strange practice if perceived under the context of our modern culture. However, the essence of this act bears such a close resemblance to our own values, particularly those pertaining to the level of love and piety of husbands and wives. Both cultures acknowledge the sacred union and celebrate the special bonding of couples. As mentioned, those people believe that suttee purged a couple of all accumulated sins, warranted salvation and guaranteed an afterlife reunion. In our modern culture, people believe that husbands and wives should work together to achieve their familial goals as well as enrich their spirituality. It is in this way that values of the modern and archaic cultures converge. It is in the â€Å"Til-Death-Do-Us-Part† concept that the two cultures differ. We believe that couples, those who enter into marriage at least, should stay together in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. However, in the e vent that one of them dies, the marriage ties are severed. This means the church and the state grant the other the freedom to marry again. On the contrary, selected Hindu cultures practising suttee deem that the union of a husband and a wife does not end in death (of the man) and goes beyond the present life. This stems from the Hindu belief of the after-life. On the given scale, I believe that I fall on 3. I think that diversity of cultures should be respected. People should show consideration for the culture and customs of others. This is tantamount to upholding their inherent right as a people to practice their customs and nourish their culture no matter how different these are from our own.