To what extent are you in agreement that culture involves the question of human values?

I am confident that culture and human values have a connection since cultural differences often cause various misinterpretations of human rights and the corresponding misunderstandings and confrontations. Martin Luther King Jr. actively discusses those conflicts in his “Letter from the Birmingham jail.”

The author mentions many different communities, such as Christian and Jewish, but primarily focuses on the conflict between white and black people. All those groups represent different cultures, which is why they have experienced many difficulties throughout history. Although all people seem to appreciate and respect their human values, they often forget that others have similar values, which should be respected, as well.

Any community of people eventually grows, developing its ideas and principles based on their understanding of human values. At some point, those ideas and principles come together and create the phenomenon of culture, shaping according to the specificities of a particular society.

However, different communities may not have the same understanding of human values, which is why their cultures grow in their unique ways. Their values are the same, but they may appear differently, which is why one community might perceive another as a hostile group, which leads to a certain tension. According to King, this tension is a necessary transition phase from negative peace to positive peace.

This phase is required for different cultures to analyze each other’s values, identify them as similar ones, and learn to respect the human personality’s worth and dignity. In many senses, establishing a culture is not possible without the involvement of human values, as they are a foundation for building a culture.