As stated by Rollo May, communication leads to community, that is, to understanding,
intimacy and mutual valuing. Communication is not only the precision of conveying one’s
thought but also includes being a good listener. Communicating in a group is not a piece of
cake; the group members may all fall under different cultural dimensions and thus each
opinion would vary. For Instance, despite of having tons of things in common, my
roommate, Emma is strongly an individualist where as I am purely a collectivist.
Emma and I got into a very deep colloquy about the U.S. cultures and the Indian cultures
last week. It all started when she told me that she had decided to get a tattoo on her wrist.
Reflexively, I asked her if her parents were okay with it and she got rather surprised when
I asked her this. She said she strongly believed in taking her own decisions and in not
being bounded by the compulsions of seeking permission from her parents. She put
forward how after being 18, an official adult, Americans become independent and are left
to take their own choices. They are given freedom and the chance to stand on their own
legs.
Being a collectivist, my opinions begged to differ. I told her Indian culture was a lot more
different. Children/adults have to seek permission of their parents until they get married or
financially responsible/independent on their own. In most cases, even after that, people
tend to seek advice, if not consent, from their parents. It is known to be a cultural
