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> You can learn the history, culture, language, traditions, etc. of any country by opening a book Is this a serious assertion? You think I can learn the cultur
by TulliusCicero 7y ago
> You can learn the history, culture, language, traditions, etc. of any country by opening a book
Is this a serious assertion? You think I can learn the culture of, say, Japan, from a book as well as by actually living there for a short period and experiencing it?
This strikes me as woefully naive. Learning things from books, from a distance is fine and good, but there's no true substitute for being there, for experiencing a thing in person.
- the_gastropod 7y agoI strongly suspect an average student who studied Japanese in college knows more about Japan than an average tourist who went to Japan for a week or two, yes.
- katbyte 7y agoIm Canadian, I’ve read and researched a lot. I thought I knew my country but then I drove across it and realized how little I knew. Experiencing a place, people and culture is imho impossible without being there and present.