Recently I have noticed how my personal folklore differs from others.  I always knew that people were different within and outside of each other’s cultures but over these past few months I have seen just how numerous and varied these differences are.  I have always thought that every culture advocated competition and working hard for a positive end result or wanting to stick to an organized schedule.  Things that I believed were results of human nature are actually products of the folklore that surrounds me in my daily life.

             I have always believed competition yielded the best results whether it was in business, school, sports, etc.  That is definitely a way I express my personal folklore that I have been taught from my family and even from the ideals of this country.  I think that competition makes people work harder and be more effective in what they do.  Some other cultures do not see competition as such a great thing, and may see it more as confrontational rather than efficient.  We may disagree, but neither one can really say each other is wrong because we perceive reality differently which is a product of our folklore.

            One thing I found interesting about Toelken’s writing was the part about how differently cultures perceive time itself differently.  I never realized that I saw time in such a linear way but I do.  Everyday is a continuation of that line, and when one thing ends another begins.  There is no deviation or lapse.  I also thought most cultures saw time similarly to each other even if they were different in many other ways; I assumed it was a universal idea. But Toelken’s writing shows that is not the case.  So I guess the way I view time is another way my personal folklore expresses my worldview.