ADAPTING TO A NEW WORLD
Overcoming Culture Shock
ON NOVEMBER 18, 1984, a host of giraffes from Kenya were transported by aeroplane to the United States. Surviving members of a particularly long-necked species of giraffe, they were being taken to the United States for breeding. The journey in the aeroplane presented a problem for the organizers; for the giraffes had never heard the loud noise of jet engines before, and it was thought that they may become alarmed when placed in an aircraft for the first time. In order to make them accustomed to the sound which they would have to experience during the long flight from Kenya to the United States, the giraffes were exposed to tape-recordings of the sound of jet engines for several weeks before their departure. When they finally set foot on the aircraft the sound was nothing new to them, and they showed no adverse reactions when the engines were switched on. (BBC News, November 18, 1984)
Any animal or human being experiences a certain shock on stepping into a new environment. If one has been accustomed to a certain set of conditions for years, any change in these conditions will have an inevitable effect on one’s general disposition. When human beings are subjected to such a change in their environment, the impact it has on them is known as “culture shock”.
In this world, man can put up an excuse by casting a camouflage of words upon his actions; in the next world empty words will have no weight.
To avoid suffering from the effects of culture shock, humans go through a period of preparation—much like that the giraffes underwent—before switching to a new environment. They read books on the country they are going to visit; they learn its language and acquaint themselves with the habits and customs of its people, which may be very different from their own. Only then will they be in a position to enjoy the pleasures that it has to offer.
All men are destined to leave this world. The journey they will undertake after death will be more momentous than any they have undertaken in their lives. The conditions of the next world will be entirely different from those they have experienced on earth. In this world people succeed by all sorts of underhand means; in the next world there will be only one basis of success, and that will be the real worth of one’s own actions. In this world, it is often injustice that holds sway; the next world will be one of total and perfect justice. In this world, man can put up an excuse by casting a camouflage of words upon his actions; in the next world, empty words will have no weight. Only those words that are supported by reality will ring true.
Before switching to this totally different world, man needs to become accustomed to it. For this reason, God sends His prophets to teach man the conditions that will prevail in the eternal world for which he is bound. He reveals His scriptures to enable man to prepare himself for the next world, and adopt its conditions before he gets there. If man fails to take heed of these warnings, however, he will reach the next world unprepared. He will be exposed to such a massive shock that he will not be fit to enjoy the untold blessings that lie there.