Self Development in Communal societies

𝐃𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬!?🔍

In the Netherlands, one of the first question people ask each other, "So how is work?" In contrast, in Morocco, the conversation generally goes like this: "How are you?" (repeated in three different ways: "Labas alik?" "Kidayra?" "Kolshi bikhir?"). After answering "I am doing fine" for the second time and being asked again, I sometimes still question myself, did I pronounce it wrong? Followed by questions like, "How is your sister? How is your son? Say hi to your parents! etc..

These repetitive conversations FRUSTRATED me a lot!

You might think, how kind, why would you be irritated by this? I didn't understand my frustration at first either. But after a while, I realized that I felt I never really got to talk about me, my goals. For someone coming from a highly individualistic society that focuses heavily on personal aspirations and independence, this was hard! It made me wonder:

𝐃𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬?

Communal societies, such as Morocco, are deeply rooted in community, family bonds, and collective responsibility. The strength of these connections provides a profound sense of belonging & mutual support. To give you an example; a few weeks ago we visited Brussels and strolled through a curiosa market. My son saw a toy he was interested in, when I asked the seller for the price, I thought it was way too expensive. Then I heard him talking to his friend in Darija. I asked him again, this time in Darija, if he could lower the price as Sami was Moroccan as well. I jokingly asked what he could do for his "brother." He was surprised, laughed and said, "For the little Moroccan, it's for free; see it as a gift from his brother. He added, "You see, that would never happen among Dutch people."😅

After spending more time in Morocco, I realized that individual dreams and ambitions definitely do exist but are often intertwined with the collective well-being.

For example, consider a young entrepreneur in Morocco who dreams of starting a business. While in an individualistic society, the primary focus might be on personal financial success, in Morocco, the entrepreneur often aims to create a business that also provides jobs for community members.

So, do individual dreams and personal ambitions exist in communal societies? Absolutely. They just take on a different form. Now, I'm not saying one is better than the other; it just taught me a beautiful lesson: The power of authenticity combined with a community focus can results into magic.

After all, what is the fun in living authentically if you can't share it with others?

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬?🌍