I must say, I am delighted at the responses that have been posted on this thread even when I dont agree with them.

My own view is that cultural heritage is over-rated and if it is actively encouraged, it can lead to people actively retreating into a cultural ghetto. Although I found Stigweard's postings very interesting, I have to say I profoundly disagree with them. For me, my past is not important.The past is a foreign country where I do not belong. If I was to meet my ancestors, we would have nothing in common with each other. The only thing we would have in common is our gene pool. The DNA in us is biological. I do not agree that there is also a cultural DNA in us. Our ancestors were foreigners (to us, at least). What they belived in, went through, expereienced is not what I believe in, went through, and experienced. Much more important to me is the society that I live in - our attitudes, our immediate history - the Zeitgeist, if you will.

I judge a man by his character. His cultural background is totally un-important.