My family history, my culture or my environment have taught me to respect others, but above all to respect myself. In my culture, respect is strongly emphasized. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay I spent only two years of my life in my native country before my family moved to America. The ticket to America, for my parents, was an open door leading to new opportunities earned through hard work and patience. Although they continued to live far from Nigeria, they never ignored their culture or their origins. They raised me like any other African parent, with an emphasis on respect. Respect meant recognizing the feelings and interests of others and treating them the way I would like to be treated. I was 12 years old and studying in Nigeria about 3 years ago when I learned that respect had multiple meanings in my culture. Most of the time, it was aimed at elderly people. When an elderly man or woman entered the room, we would drop to our knees and curtsy to show them our courtesy. My culture not only taught me to respect others, but above all myself. I built self-respect by developing a sense of worth. Self-respect is the foundation of a life of integrity. Without self-respect there would be no respect, and without respect we will live in a world full of savages, violence and problems. Responsibility plays a big role in my family and my culture. “You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by emancipating it today,” his father would say after I repeatedly pointed the finger at my siblings for something with my name on it. I never thought about what he meant until I moved to Nigeria. Responsibility was talked about at home, at school, everywhere. As a child, my responsibility was to do the little things, but that has changed. As you get older, your responsibility evolves and moves towards more serious things. Over time, I developed a definition of responsibility. It meant understanding your obligation to get things done. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay As you get older, your responsibility changes and shifts to more serious things. a mature person.