How Do Different Cultures Co-Exist?

I have learned so much about the world around me, even with only digging at the surface of this topic. First, I would like to thank all of my wonderful professors who set time aside to meet with me and explain these greetings

Through my broad analysis of the different greetings, I came across two major relationships.  The first one is the definition of personal space.  Some areas valued personal space more than other areas.  I found that East Asia valued personal space the most and Europe valued it the least.  Latin America closely followed Europe while the others (United States, Middle East and Africa) were in the middle of the scale.

The second relationship I would was the idea of westernization.  Many cultural areas changed their forms of greeting to reflect western values.  The handshake has become more and more universal.  This change is most evident in East Asia and Africa.

So, how do different cultures co-exist?

Greetings are just the door that opens you to another culture.  By learning just that first step, we show that we are trying to understand a culture and that we deem their culture important.

Culture isn't just about that first "Hello."  It's what comes after that is the most important part.  That's when we really start to co-exist.