The Cultural Norms of Communication Adopted in Russia
Verbal, Non-Verbal Communication, and Touches
For some reason, western countries consider Russian people to be grim and gloomy, down to the point where communication with Russians becomes uncomfortable and unpleasant, but it’s just a big misunderstanding. I think cultural norms of verbal and especially nonverbal communication play a big part in shaping this idea. For example, in the Russian communication culture, it is considered rude to point to someone with an index finger. However, I also think that we share a lot of gestures from western cultures since there are many similarities.
Also, saying that Russian people are very reticent is quite a stretch. The difference between American and Russian cultural norms is that Americans might be a bit more reserved than Russians (A. D. smiles). Do you want an example? Ask your friend, “How do you do?” He’ll tell you, “Fine, thanks.” Ask your Russian friend, “How do you do?” – and they’ll tell you exactly how they feel and why they feel so.
Relationship in the Family and Discussion of Important Issues Together
Family ties mean a lot to my family members and me; however, I don’t communicate as much with more distant relatives, such as my cousins. As a rule, when discussing issues with my family members, I tend to be open and honest about the challenges that I face, the issues that I will have to overcome, and so on. My family members and I share the idea of being there for each other no matter what. Although I do realize that it means putting a lot of pressure on them, changing my behavior now will mean hurting them. They will probably think that I don’t trust them enough.
My wife and I discuss important issues whenever there’s a need to, yet we tend to keep the children away from these discussions. We both think that they are far too little to be involved in adult dilemmas and hardships; we should just let them be kinds.
Restrictions and Sanctions in Russia
The Nature of These Restrictions and Their Effect on People
As you’ve probably heard, Russia is currently under numerous sanctions and restrictions because of its political choices. I don’t approve of the choices that the current Russian government makes, so I believe sanctions must be used to make a change. However, these restrictions affect my family and me greatly. For instance, I doubt that we can feel secure if returning to Russia right now. We’ll have to deal without many essential products and services because of the sanctions.
These sanctions may make people either feel desperate or search for available options elsewhere. Those who can immigrate definitely will, whereas the rest will remain deprived of essential items and elements of their daily lives. I wouldn’t say it’s a regular occurrence, but it happens, and there’s hardly anything one can do on their own.
The Sanctions That Might Occur According to the Cultural Norms
As far as the sanctions imposed on Russians by the state authorities, I believe that the limited access to certain online sites may become a problem. If someone posts a message or image considered offensive, an entire site may be blocked so that users won’t have access to certain information. I don’t believe that it’s a legitimate and sensible way of managing online information, but there’s been no other solution in Russia so far.
The whole situation is very unnerving. I feel that the rights of the Russian people are being violated. Although I haven’t been living in Russia for a while, I still feel that Russian culture is a part of my legacy. The current political and informational situation there makes me very upset. However, to address the issue of sanctions, Russians will have to make a major leap in fighting for their rights.
Typical Education Obtained by the People of Russia
Education Appropriate for the Children
In Russia, education is valued greatly. Enrolling in a university or institute, a local equivalent of college education, is deemed an essential step for getting a good job in the future. Therefore, a lot of people in Russia have a degree. However, job opportunities are often scarce, which means that one must start working part-time while studying. As a result, one may end up getting lower grades than expected.
As far as my children’s education perspectives are concerned, I’d be happy if they considered going to a college and getting a degree. It might be my Russian mentality, but I believe they’ll have better career options with a Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree. Of course, I’ll support them whatever their choice will be, but I would still prefer higher education.
Cultural Norms Affecting the Decisions About Getting Education
As I’ve said, education is traditionally linked to better career options and, thus, is highly valued. Furthermore, Russian cultural norms encourage learning as an essential process needed for personal growth. In principle, I support this idea. However, I must admit that some of these concepts fall flat when implemented in real life. For example, education and learning, in general, is often viewed as a means to an end: you go to school, then to college, then you get a degree, then a good job, and you can finally take a break. Any development beyond that is not considered a necessity. I think it’s a very big flaw, and I believe lifelong education must be encouraged.
The Most Common Health-Related Beliefs and Practices in Russian Culture
Why People Believe Them to Be Helpful
There are many health-related practices in Russian culture, including standard medicine practices and different types of traditional medicine. However, nowadays, most Russian people tend to dismiss traditional and alternative medicine as nonsense and, instead, use prescribed medications and therapies (Doidge, 2015). I’d say that the popularity of traditional and alternative medicine in Russia used to be high because of the unavailability of efficient drugs. Now that Russian people can easily purchase the required medicine, traditional medicine seems to have been abandoned (Yi, 2017).
However, it seems that homemade medications remain a popular element of Russian culture. For instance, using herbs to get rid of a cough and addressing the problem of a sore throat is common practice (Krasheninnikova, 2017). I partially believe them to be helpful, but only as an addition to prescribed medications. It is hard to give up certain traditions, even if they seem pointless.
The Nature of the Health-Related Beliefs Common in Russian Culture
As I said before, the unavailability of medications during the times of an economic crisis led to the creation of countless homemade techniques and types of medicine. However, the roots of these elements of the Russian culture may hide even deeper. Regardless, I believe most of them are just myths that can be easily busted with modern theories and innovations. Once high-quality healthcare is made available to all Russian society members, these relics of the past will become long forgotten. In the meantime, Russian people will have to find comfort in these traditions.
The Most Common Religions Spread in Russian Culture
Spirituality in the Family and Environment
My family and I are Orthodox Christians. We follow key rituals, although we would not call ourselves devoted Christians. We tend to search for spirituality within ourselves rather than follow religious rituals.
How Religion Helps to Deal With Everyday Life Issues and Problems
Whenever I feel lost, I seek help from God. However, it is uncommon in Russian culture to ask God for trivial issues and materialistic things. Instead, my family and I focus on spiritual development and ask for well-being, in general.
References
Doidge, N. (2015). The brain’s way of healing: Remarkable discoveries and recoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity. New York, NY: Penguin.
Krasheninnikova, Y. (2017). Informal healthcare in contemporary Russia: Sociographic essays on the post-Soviet infrastructure for alternative healing practices. Columbia, OH: Columbia University Press.
Yi, I. (2017). Towards universal health care in emerging economies: Opportunities and challenges. New York, NY: Springer.