History and religion: concepts and intersections

¶ … cultures of India and China share some similarities, yet are vastly different when answering the question of how ideally a person should live their life. India, as a country, embraces the diversity of their people, and lives peacefully despite the different religions that coexist. The country supports a large population that is estimated at over 1 billion people. The people of India speak thousands of languages, practice nearly every religion imaginable, and oddly enough still incorporate the caste system. China similarly supports a 1-billion+ population, along with social classes, but more emphasis is placed on being male, and receiving higher education. Communism has been a very intrusive government system, which has dramatically influenced the everyday way of life in China.

India's people, despite their similar characteristics physically, celebrate their diversity by coming together on common ground in reference to a common ancestry. Religion is very important in India, and the people of India spend a lot of their free time praying, reading religious materials or practicing religious customs. While education is important, the illiteracy rate in India is actually high. It is impossibility for teachers to know every language that is spoken, and every religion that is practiced, making education more difficult to achieve.

The caste system is the most influential key to each person's life. Marriage is usually restricted to their caste. Complicating matters even more are the subcategories that exist in some specific communities, tribes and regions, making the list of castes in the thousands. However, they can be loosely grouped into four levels, based on Hindu beliefs. These four "classes are the Brahmans (priests and scholars), the Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), the Vaisyas (merchants, farmers and traders) and the Sudras (laborers, including artisans, servants and serfs)." ("India," 2) It is not impossible for a Priest to find himself in a different class than the Brahmans, and most of the Brahmans today are "Farmers, cooks and other professionals." ("India," 2) While the importance of a person's caste has declined in India since their independence, their existence is due primarily to the system of marriage. Almost all of the Hindu marriages in India are arranged, and of these arranges marriages, most are made within the same caste. "Love marriages" do occur across the caste distinctions, but the couples often suffer social repercussions for these marriages. Notably, an "inter-caste" marriage ended in violence this past August when the couple was hanged by "villagers opposed to their inter-caste relationship." (Gajewski,)

Much like China, women in India are mistreated and oppressed. Women in India have typically been unable to hold more technical jobs, such as being a doctor, and their opinions politically have always been overlooked. While violence against women still is a threat in India today, women's movements have been around in India since the nineteenth century. Ironically, it was a man, Ram Mohan Roy, who first "denounced the caste system and abuses on women." (Liddle, 19) Despite the advancements made in India regarding women's rights, women are still oppressed and ruled by men when it comes to educational options and what jobs are open to them.

The focus of life in India is on family. Many times, extended immediate families live together, especially in rural communities. Even so, urban life is still focused on family. Unlike China, India is fairly behind technologically, with middle classes and above only being exposed to television. The internet is just now showing up in India, though it will surely gain popularity as more people have access. Religious rituals provide the most entertainment to Indians through dance, festival and feasts.

China was the first country to reach the 1 billion mark in population the numbers continue to rise. ("China, 4) China is the only country ahead of India in population worldwide. Chinese families are restricted to one child (though some exceptions are made), placing extreme pressure on the woman to produce a male heir. New ways of determining the sex of babies causes many legal abortions of girl babies before they are born. Infanticide is a major issue, and the ratio of men to women is increasing because of the preference of male children. While the reasons for wanting male children are many, the roots are cultural. Much like in India, the male of the family takes care of his parents as they age, while females typically take care of their husband's family.

Vastly different than India, religion does not play a major role in the life of Chinese. In fact, the Communist Party completely did away with organized religion after coming to power, which did not meet objections. The belief system of the Chinese people has religious basis, but does not have a particular religious affiliation.

The most important aspect of Chinese life is education. The education of people is very important socially and helps determine their role in society by determining your financial position. Money differences between the wealthy and the average vary greatly and the variance puts a lot of pressure on students to do well. Unlike India, women can study to become doctors and businesswomen, and do so regularly. Education can move someone upward in the social classes, which is virtually unheard of in India. Pressure to do well on college entrance examinations causes most extra-curricular activities to be focused on tutors, language classes and other preparations for higher education. Science and technology are far more advanced in China as compared to India.