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Different worlds challenge the way we see ourselves, others and the world we live in. Our culture is a part of us; it is who we are. Having many unique cultures throughout the world, allows us to experience other cultures and how they impact people's day-to-day lives. As each culture has different customs, traditions and religions, many people may not take the time to understand a culture different from their own. Learning about other cultures (worlds) can influence the way we perceive the world. It can change how we view the rich or the poor, different genders and customs of other cultures. Ideally, the world should be a place where there is no prejudice and racism, but for that to occur people need to realise that every culture is unique and brings diversity to our world.

We all have different backgrounds and this shapes the people that we are and the way we view ourselves and others. Many people are narrow minded and not open to other worlds, often considering their culture superior to many others. However, when we come across different worlds it challenges us to be open to other cultures and the way they live. Our perspective of other cultures may be set in stone due to our upbringing in our culture and beliefs. Different worlds allow us to alter our perspective and challenge the way we see ourselves and our culture.

We are all unique, we are all our own characters, the worlds that we come from influence the people that we are and the way we see ourselves. Our worlds are determined by our culture, our surroundings, religion and traditions and overall lifestyle. The worlds we grow up in impact on how we see ourselves, whether they make us perceive things differently, or they actually change us to adopt qualities or particular behaviours associated with the world we come from.

It is very clear ways in which different worlds challenge the way we see ourselves. Different cultures and belief systems segregate one person from the next. In this way we are able to view ourselves in a different light as we compare and contrast the different morals and social standards each world has. I believe the way we see ourselves when judging other cultures is that we believe that our world and way of life is the better way to live. We very easily stereotype different cultures and religions before actually looking into each culture, religion etc.

There are many ways in which different worlds challenge the way we see ourselves. They can challenge us both positively and negatively in that they can add to what we already have, or they can remove some of this in favour of something more detrimental. Firstly, different worlds have many positive effects on the human being: they can open one’s mind to other cultures, they can create new opportunities and they can even change the way one person may live. Even taking a holiday in a “different world” will leave a person more enlightened about the way some societies function, and these people might thus go on to change aspects of their society or even of their own personality from what they have learnt. On the other hand, different worlds can have detrimental challenges to one’s perception of one’s self. They can remove some of our more favourable qualities in place of something dangerous or perilous – for example, moving to a culture where drugs, guns and mafia warfare are common and becoming caught up in the action. Therefore we can take different elements from the different worlds or we can completely integrate into them – however whether it is considered positive or detrimental depends on the individual.