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What Does Being British Mean to Me?
To me, being British isn't about having labels or categorising people. Being British is about being accepting and open to new ideas, new prospects and new experiences. It's about exploring new cultures and traditions and adapting and integrating them into our personal lives.
As a very multinational society, we have been influenced by many cultures around us which has inspired us to take strands of different traditions and weave it into our own culture. We have, and are still continuing, to learn from other societies, which undoubtedly gives us an advantage. We have learnt to be tolerant as we have welcomed millions of people of different races and religions into our country. And as a result, we get the best of both worlds. We get the ‘fish and chips’ but also the ‘chicken tikka masala’. What would we do without pizza from the Italians or noodles from the Chinese?
International migration has made it possible to experience a small fraction of hundreds of cultures, which I believe is a privilege for Brits. Our multinational community has molded and shaped Britain into what it is today; of course Britain isn’t perfect. As a country we have made many, many mistakes in the past and I have no doubt that we will continue to make mistakes which is only humane. On the contrary, we will also continue to succeed as strive as a country in many aspects.
To me, being British is more than a label or a box to tick, it is an empowering feeling.
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Recently, I have attented a workshop based on Nationality and Identity. It got me thinking about what it meant for me to be part of Britain.