Many Western Values are understood to be universal, but a closer look at history and the present state of affairs reveals that many Western values are in fact Western-centric. Indeed, throughout history, Asia has existed on basically two separate pages. Partaking in different trends and facing different challenges than our counter-parts in the West, Asian societies have evolved in such a way that the values we engender are vastly different in nature.
We went through a different course of history
A great deal of the West was dominated by Christianity and other monotheistic religions. These religions, with their emphasis on a single God and a single moral authority, were a powerful force in binding people together and creating a sense of moral community. As for China, India and much of the Middle East, they were never converted to Christianity. They remained polytheistic in their beliefs. Consequently, many different spiritual forces could exist simultaneously. These included Buddhist karma and Hinduism's many gods and goddesses.
We just treasure different things
In the West, we start with the individual. In Asia, we start with the family.
In the West, we start with capital. In Asia, we start with labor.
In the West, our society is based on law. In Asia, our society is based on trust.
In the West, we believe in rights. In Asia, we believe in relationships.
In the West, we believe in capitalism and competition. In Asia, we believe in harmony and group effort.
In the West, you are responsible for yourself. In Asia you are responsible for your family first then for society as a whole by extension.
In the West when we do things it is because of a belief that it will bring us closer to happiness. We act from our own self interests and desires, believing that this will lead to a better life for all of us in aggregate . While in Asia when we do things whether it be business or personal relationships it is because it will help to build trust and harmony within our extended family or community of which all of us are part and parcel of one another's wellbeing.
Different stages of development
Human rights are often presented as Western values, which are universal and must be accepted by all countries if they want to join the civilized world. At the same time, people in the West point at China and say it has no respect for human rights.
But that is not true; we are only in a different stage of development. In the West, they started industrialisation and capitalism first, so they could afford to care about human rights. In Asia, we are still catching up. That's why we're not very good at it yet.
Differences in the role of power in society
The West is all about the individual, while Asia is more collective. In the West, you are responsible for yourself. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. In Asia, people work in teams and rely more on each other to get things done. Another big difference involves structure and hierarchy. Asians tend to be more comfortable with hierarchy and deference to authority than Westerners are. This can be seen in how Asians perceive their relationship with God or a higher power—the Western view sees God as a creator who expects us to take care of ourselves; the Asian view sees God as our parent who takes care of us, but who still expects us to obey him or her.
If there is any benefit from this, it is that East Asians are more comfortable with authoritarian governments than most Westerners are. When they see a strong leader they think that leader has the best interest of all people at heart, not just his or her own economic or political agenda.
Having read a lot about the differences between Western and Eastern values, I've come to the conclusion that we need to celebrate our diversity instead of complaining that some people have different values. It's true, we have different values and there is no point in denying it. But that's what makes the world such a great place. We are all unique individuals whether we are from the East or West. And what's even more important is that our societies and communities should accept this and celebrate our differences.