Entry 10

There is a clash of civilizations and there is certainly an "other." Yet this is part of any people. The "other" is necessary for any civilization. There is always something strange or something undefinable, where it be people from another culture or from their own. Part of the problem is the refusal to listen or to try to understand other people and cultures. Because to do so would be to admit that they are not as different as most would want to believe. That said, there is a historical basis for this fear in that people traveled to other countries and areas and wrote about these places. These writings contained preconceived notions and prejudices which were passed on to later writers. This still shapes the way we think about other places.