My culture for the purposes of this exercise will be that of a semi-devout Christian straight white man who subscribes to a traditional American lifestyle. Aging is seen as a negative event, with physical attributes fading and energy levels dropping, providing underwhelming physical experiences relative to earlier periods. Likewise, death is not generally looked upon favorably. True, as a Christian I am promised eternal life in heaven, but I, like most people I know, still want to enjoy life here on earth. I think the perspective on death is greatly affected by the depth of one's faith. It seems those who are comfortable and sound in their beliefs are more empowered to embrace aging and death within the cultures I am engaged with.

Respond two colleagues who addressed cultures that are different from the ones you addressed. Share an insight from reading your colleagues' postings. Describe how you might incorporate the cultural perspectives on aging described by your colleagues into your own social work practice.

Hinduism is a religion practiced by many from the Middle East to Asia. Hindus believe that the soul is reincarnate (Gupta 2011). However, Hindus also believe that all life is sacred, so likely many Hindus also enjoy their life and do not wish to do simply to have their soul reborn. The Hindu belief of karma states that some events, including death, are the result of prior actions.

Islam is another religion which is widely practiced throughout the world, and predominantly in the Middle East. Muslims, as followers of Islam are known, believe in the afterlife. Similarly to Hindus, Muslims believe that death is a time when the fruits of labor during life are rewarded (Gartrad 2002).

Differing perspectives on aging certainly has an impact on social work. The social worker should allow the client to be self-determinate, thus steering the conversation towards the attitude and stance towards death they are most comfortable and familiar with. In this case, being culturally competent would include the ability to maintain neutrality to client beliefs which may vary greatly from ones own faith or beliefs.