Ethics

Life is known to be full of conflict, strife, and issues. It is spilling with such complexities that it is a great wonder why anyone would even want to be part of it. But that conclusion is not one that is derived from a morose mind but rather a statement derived from the truth seen in life, a statement which is from personal experiences of a cursed and blessed lifethat of being half and half. Before fictional characters like half-humanhalf Avatar or demigods come into your mind, let me point out what it is I am trying to saythat of having mixed nationalities and of belonging to two races, cultures, and countries. It can be likened to that of being a drink, like a chocolate-fruit drink There is a part which is the chocolate-y and there is the part where there is the fruity. While both flavors can stand on their own, and it might be slightly uncommon and even weird to mix two conventional flavors into something unconventional in the end, it actually works. Hence, I can be referred to as that person who is of mixed nationalityor a personified chocolate-fruit shake (or other analogies that you can come up with).

When a man is an Arab, the first thing that is associated with him is oil. When a man is British, the first thing that is associated with him is the Queen. When a man is both an Arab and a British, the first thing that he receives is a blank stare followed by a weak attempt on conversation about anything under the sun except culture, country, and religionand this is where the problem lies. It is like trying to not notice and talk about the big elephant sitting in the room with its legs crossed. Being part of two cultures and of being mixed nationalities is something which is happily accepted in liberal London. Europe is after all known for its multitudes of immigrants and migrants that came from all parts of the world. While in the United States of America, there are horrible cases of racism against the Africans, African-Americans, and Asians, Europe fares better as the population if so diverse in its origins. Europe is like one big assorted candy store with so much diversity and differences. London is one of those places where people look forward in going to while in Europe, this place is no exemption.

However, even if with the culturally diverse London atmosphere, there are still a lot of setbacks that a person with mixed nationalities would encounter on daily basis. Sometimes, it would come to the point that a foot is childishly stamped on the ground and whoever is in charge of fate is cursed. Because a great part of a persons perception would feel thatbeing cursed. Being different and yet so similar from the rest of the world is a curse so frustrating since there is nothing to be done about a persons birth circumstances. It is not like some recently bought shoes that can be replaced anytime. It is not like some beer belly that can be extinguished by rigorous and painful daily exercises. Ones nationality and birth are something unchangeable. While Michael Jackson even had the resources to change how he looked like, he was still who he was even if he had permanent eyebrow tattoos, snow-white skin, and peach-pink lips. Like what has been stated beforeit is a curse.

Struggling in a country you are a part of but which is apart from you is not uncommon of a circumstance and is not uncommon as an issue in life. There have been cases about it that even literature and history books have been known to portray such situations being torn between two cultures which are different from each other and which seem to oppose the other. While the conflict often revolves around choosing which to belong to and the results often end in not making a choice at all, there is still the struggle to live through everyday after not making the decision. The whole point is that being of mixed nationalities is not easy that it is condemnable. Ironically though, such condemnation is often retracted and this is because being a member of two cultures is a great part of the person already that not having mixed nationalities is like the removal of half of ones soul or half of ones heart. Dramatic this may seem to be, but it is the entire truthfor how can one person simply disregard the other half or other part of himself

We have already established that by having mixed nationalities, in particular that of being a Kuwaiti and being British. It is like a curse and a blessing at the same timecursed in a sense that a person is torn between traditions, philosophies, and beliefs. It is inevitable that I be influenced by polar-different cultures, that of both the western and middle-eastern cultures. When the West believes in individuality and independence, the Middle-East believes in strong familial relations. When the West believes in the power of the logic and intellect alone, the Middle-East takes into consideration other factors that could be regarded as ridiculous by the West. If I find myself right smack in the middle of two opposing forces, what is the best course to take When values and beliefs are sacrificed for the sake of fitting in and acceptance by society, where does that leave me Where does that leave a person who has mixed nationalities

This may seem emotional and melodramatic, but for those people who have one single nation they belong to, they can never understand what it feels like to be mixed. The general feeling is that of being an outsider and yet being inside. It is like those beautiful snow globes wherein a person sees the beauty and magic inside the globe and yet, all that a person can do is to helplessly and silently admire from outside and sigh in frustration. It would be painstaking because the person wants to be inside the snow globe and enjoy the beauty and magic as well and yet, being on the outside has its advantages too. Thus, no matter what other people may say about the liberal and open-mindedness of the West, people with mixed nationalities like me will always be different not because we are mixed but because we think and act differently because we are mixed. Mixed nationalities are outsiders and will always be outsiders, and this is not because we want to be like this but because it is just the way things are. Being an outsider is as unchangeable as the circumstances of ones birth and the nation he or she belongs to.

The main issue with mixed nationalities is the two cultures that we belong to. Belonging to a culture is very important. It brings a sense of belongingness and identity. As what Veltman (1997) wrote on the importance of culture

Culture is concerned with the development of coherent viewpoints which bring a cumulative effect to otherwise isolated experiences of a group, making them feel special yet allowing others to have a parallel experience. Hence, an Italians culture links them with Dante and Petrarch, and yet they can respect an Indians culture which links them with the Vedas and Mahabharata.

However, if we have two cultures in which we belong to, does this mean that we have two identities as well If I both embody, practice, and partake of the culture of the West and the Middle-East, then does this mean that I am both Kuwaiti and British This is what remains to be most confusing, for how can anyone have a dual identity It would be like having sworn allegiance to a king and then only to remember that the knight has already sworn his fealty to another king. But this duality of nationality, of being mixed, is not really of a betrayal of one country to the other but more of wanting truly and wholly to belong to one nation without limits and without exemptions. Since I (and many other people in this world) have mixed nationalities, then this would be very impossible. Like what was stated beforeit is a curse.

There is nothing really wrong with being mixed. It is not some disease that is contagious and which should be cured. Even if I likened it to a curse, it is something I also emphasize to be a blessing. In actuality, the comparison of being mixed nationality to curse is to some extent just an exaggeration but which was needed to point out the difficulties that one faces because of that particular circumstance and to reveal the feelings of what a person would have regarding having mixed nationalities. But when I declared that it was also a blessing, it is very true in all the sense of the word, for indeed, being Kuwaiti and being British is truly a blessingone blessing that is often taken for granted.

Being both a Kuwaiti and British allows me to see both sides of the culturesno biases and no prejudices against either culture. This is one thing which makes it exhilarating and even rewarding to be part of both cultures I get to see the world in two perspectives instead of just a single one. When others are finding it difficult to find any perspective at all, I am rewarded with two. Although it may be complicated to have such opposing beliefs, the fact that they are so different from the other makes it all the more fair and judicious. I can actually see myself as one of those fair judges sitting on the throne and about to delegate some verdict to his subjects. But then again, that would be just a product of my overactive imagination but which holds some truth in itnot the being-a-king analogy but of being fair to all people concerned. Because I am a product of two cultures, I can see the conservative from the liberal. I can see the open-minded from the narrow-minded. I can see the want for independence and the need for dependence. This is where the blessing of having mixed nationalities comes inI have the ability which other people do not. I have developed a sense of understanding for other people and their predicament. I can see other cultures clearly and identity their faults, failures, and fortitude.

Overall, I can see the underlying beliefs, philosophies, and values that govern them. I can understand why people act the way they are, why they say such things, why they think that wayand this is not because I am all-knowing but because I just know. Having mixed nationalities has enabled me to consider the situation of other people and allowed me to judge or form my conclusions based on who they are and not what they are. Since I have experienced how other people judge me because of what I am (meaning my two nationalities), I understand it all the more when other people also do their judgments. After all, though culture, race and skin color are all important parts of a person, they are not the only things which make up the person. There are other factors as well such as intellect, ability and personality. Just because I am Kuwaiti and British, it does not mean that my identity ends there. I too have my identity as a person and as a member of the society. Thus, people should not judge other people just because of a persons nationalityand I have learned this the hard way.

The other aspect which makes mixed nationalities such a blessing is because of the diversity of cultures, traditions, and philosophies that we are part of. Because of this, there is a great tendency that information, knowledge, and experiences are passed down to me. Because of my exposure to both the Arabian culture that boasts so much history and to the British way of life, which also boasts such a tremendous and colorful past, I am able to access two stories of two cultures, and this makes me much more knowledgeable compared to other people with just one single culture they are part of.
Cecil Rhodes (1913) as cited by Abdullah (2004) was once quoted to be saying, Ask any man what nationality he would prefer to be, and ninety-nine out of a hundred will tell you that they would prefer to be Englishmen. Perhaps, when Rhodes stated this, he did not consider that there is a vast majority of people who are proud of their culture and heritage even if they are not Englishmen. Perhaps, he also did not consider the fact that there would be people who are both English and non-English and proud to be so. I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness for being a part of two cultures, and though it may seem pretentious, it is actually the entire truth. So far, being Kuwaiti and British has taught me one important thing A persons happiness does not lie on trying to change something which is already permanent like a persons nationality. Instead, happiness lies on being content on what one has been givenand I am very content in being a chocolate-fruit shake.