Reference:
Coming of Age in Samoa
Margaret Mead
1928 Harper Perennial
Summary:
Samoans generally don't intrude on the personal privacy of their fellows. If someone suddenly changes their attitude on something, their motives go unquestioned. A moderate attitude is ideal, so as long as someone isn't overly emotional or extreme with their attitude, they have few issues.
Discussion:
It's interesting how some of these attitudes can be found in other cultures. A couple of years ago, my father spent a few weeks in the middle east for his job. During that time he was primarily working with Muslims, and he would often hear the phrase "Insha'Allah," or "If it is God's will," as an explination/excuse for many situations. In functionality, this is similar to the Samoan "Ta ilo," or "Search Me," as a throwaway phrase to end a discussion.
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