Eastern vs Western Mindset ~ A Reflection from Vietnam

During my months in Hoi An, I read a book that spoke about how our minds are, in many ways, man-made. That where we’re born, the place, the family, the culture, the religion, essentially creates it and shapes the way we operate in the world.

It spoke at length about the differences between Western and Eastern minds. Differences I began noticing in Vietnam first hand.

You see, in the west, we’re often conditioned to believe that this is our one life… and so everything feels like it needs to move faster. There’s this underlying pressure to experience more, become more and do more in order to achieve everything we possibly can, under the premise that this is our one chance. The YOLO trend really speaks to this.

But in many Eastern cultures, there’s a belief in multiple lives. And with that comes a very different energy. Life can move slower, be savoured and there’s a practice of non-attachment to things that are, by nature, impermanent. 

What is the need to rush through or acquire everything, when you have thousands of lives, thousands of opportunities? It’s ’getting there’ VS ‘being here’ mindset. 

This then made me think about age. About how in many Western societies, there’s a widespread belief that retirement marks the beginning of a rapid decline ~ physically, mentally and socially. That once we stop working and “producing,” we lose value and will inevitably begin to fade. And in many ways… that perception becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But in Vietnam, I noticed something completely different. Without acceptance of such views surrounding aging, when you visit, you’ll see women well into their 70s, 80s and dare I say even 90s, still riding bikes, driving scooters, working in markets, tending to vegetable gardens, caring for their families.

Their strength and energy honestly left me in awe, daily. Perhaps it’s also that the elderly are so deeply respected and continue to have a strong sense of purpose within family life… that they remain so vibrant. I believe that definitely plays a role.

To conclude, neither way is right or wrong… just vastly different. But it did make me realise how deeply our beliefs shape our experience of life. How the thoughts we repeat, often due to societal conditioning, become the boundaries we live within.

And finally, how powerful it is to reflect, question and consciously choose for yourself what you believe to be true. Have you ever noticed differences like this while travelling?