Conflict Creation and Punctuality in Two Different Countries

Ecuador is located on the equatorial line in northeastern South America. Ecuador limits to the north with Colombia, to the south and to the east with Peru and to the west with the Pacific Ocean.It's known for its biodiversity and its 4 regions which are the coast, Galapagos, The Highlands, and the Amazon. Its capital is Quito and its’s and its largest city is Guayaquil. Ecuador and Europe have been linked since the discovery of America in 1492. Even though not discover right away until 1531 where conquistador Francisco Pizzaro Conquer it and Ecuador became a colony of the Spanish empire until 1822 when it was finally liberated by Simon Bolivar (Gerlach, A. 2003)., but even though it is now an independent country it still rules itself with cultures and traditions brought in by the Spaniards, like religion, language, social etiquettes, architecture amongst many others however today’s culture can be said that it's been more influenced by western popular culture. In the times of the Great Depression, Ecuador experienced a marked political instability that culminated in a war with Peru on the threshold of World War II. The post-war period in Ecuador was characterized by an increase in inequality and instability. Since then, the contemporary history of Ecuador has been characterized by profound instability and absolute dependence on fluctuations in oil prices and international financial markets, as well as its external debt.

On the other side of the Atlantic in the heart of Europe lies Germany a country with a very unstable history of the state is now known as Germany, was established on January 18, 1871, when the German Empire (Second Reich) was proclaimed under the hegemony of Prussia, a war against France from 1870-1871. After the end of World War I in 1918, the Empire was dissolved, since Germany was defeated in spite of its initial advances. Emperor William II was forced to abdicate and after the November Revolution (Novemberrevolution), the Empire was succeeded by the Weimar Republic (Weimarer Republik). The economic adversity, due to both the conditions of peace and the great world depression, is considered as one of the causes that provoked the support of the opinion leaders and the German voters towards the anti-democratic parties.

On January 30, 1933, under pressure from the NSDAP, the President (head of state) Von Hindenburg (chancellor during the first war) appointed the leader of the NSDAP, Adolf Hitler, head of government. After the death of Hindenburg the following year, both positions were united and Hitler was named head of state as well, which gave rise to the Nazi Germany that proclaimed itself as 'Third Reich'. (Taylor, S. 2013) Hitler's policy of annexing neighboring lands to take over Lebensraum led to the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939, but by 1945 the war ended and Germany was divided only to reunify again in 1989. German reunification had unforeseen consequences ( and planned) in all areas of German life, such as German participation in UN operations for the imposition of peace, a more critical attitude of the contribution of foreigners to German life and huge costs for the taxpayers of the old states. Both countries have commercial agreements in place and strong economic relationships. However, in this research paper, their similarities and differences will be analyzed to see how to what extent do this country differ. This paper will analyze the countries art as well as their treatment to women.

At first glance, one might not think of art as an important member of culture but that is a mistake since a country's culture and history can be analyzed through its paintings. This is why when a lot of foreigners arrive in Ecuador a lot of them dimish its rich art history , but this one has a deep core message.

According to Greenberg (1971) These two definitions, art, and culture, are usually used indistinctly since they are related to very similar aspects. Both terms encompass the result of every artistic effort that identifies society, its lifestyle and the way of seeing itself. Culture refers to convictions, ideology and thought, which identifies a social group. On the other hand, art allows the generation of artistic expressions, based on various symbols, techniques and materials, applying creativity or inventiveness of the creator.

Thus, art also captures the various features of culture, especially in today's world, where all kinds of artistic expressions are present, because of the great mix of existing social groups. In this way, beyond a utilitarian use, it represents the development of creativity, of sensitivity, of ingenuity, promoting creation, to fulfill aesthetic objectives inspired by many manifestations, influencing the individual, the culture and the society. In the same way, it is said that individuals with culture are those people who have developed their level of preparation and instruction, as well as their intellectual capacities. Likewise, it can be affirmed that all artistic expression is culture, however, for culture to be art, this must achieve an impact on the collective, promoting their interest in humanity. Art is not only intended to satisfy the enjoyment and contemplation of the public or consumers of these artistic pieces they produce but also fulfills the objective of promoting spiritual balance, sensitivity and aesthetics. Involves, an abundance of creativity and imagination when creating.

Thus, it can be said that culture and art are both relevant to achieve the evolution of society, based on the intellectual faculties of the individual and through ideas or expressions that identify different social groups. The first German expressionism artwork’s political, social and intellectual contexts all revolve around the feelings of anti-nationalism at the end of world war one It originated when the Germans lost the world and their country was left in ruins. It is characterized for number of crucial themes many of which reflect deeply humanistic concerns and an ambivalent attitude toward modernity. (Shirer, W. L. 1991) These include a fascination with the enticing yet often sordid experiences of modern urban life; the enduring solace associated with nature and religion; the naked body and it's potential to signify primal emotion; emotionally charged portraiture; and, most pivotally, the need to confront the devastating experience of World War I and its aftermath. the painting war cripple represents the misery and foolishness of a society, as we can see in artwork “ war cripple “ the soldiers all have a injures on their faces and body after going through all of that pain some argue the artist wanted to show positivism of some kind caused in war cripple it shows the soldiers smiling but in reality he was making a critic of how the German people were so foolish to still had to be proud of serve in the war after it took everything away from them, and the only way its country repays them is by letting them suffer,the agonizing economic crisis the country suffers, and since a lot of these men weren’t fit to work, many of them end up homeless, and other committed suicide.

On the other hand, the Ecuadorian piece represents the low urban social class and the daily situations the life. Ecuador is still a developing country. (Gerlach, A. 2003 )It has a lot of poor urban areas and a lot of its population works earns a minimum wage. The artist represents its nations context. The people here represent the worst kinds of misery and if we pay attention in the top right corner there’s a man that has its head placed on the painting as if it was some sort of prison he was trying to escape and this symbolizes the dream of getting a better life that a lot of this people with an unstable economic and sometimes personal life have, to get out , but since they know they can't they opt to take other forms of pleasure like alcohol, and lust, in the hopes to get lost and forget all about their problems and the world that surrounds them. The simplified or distorted form an unusually strong, unnatural colors are meant to jolt the viewer and provoke an emotional response. On the one hand, he recognized the dehumanizing and alienating effects of an urban lifestyle. Yet at the same time, he celebrated the excitement and vitality of its bustling pace and multifarious attractions. Where in unparalleled freedoms and opportunities were offset by disaffection and overstimulation. As we can see a similarity can be found through their canvases though both artworks are painted at very different times they both try to depict the same concept of injustice. Which is a recurrence in art in both countries I chose these two art pieces because they try to show the misery of their citizens hoping that by creating awareness some social change might arrive.

Another aspect that is going to research in this paper is punctuality which for Germans and Ecuadorians this is a topic that could potentially cause a culture shock The American psychologist Lawrence T. White did a study (What is the meaning of 'on time'? The sociocultural nature of punctuality) with students from Estonia, USA. and Morocco on the meaning of arriving at the time in each of the societies to see if there is a common pattern. Without arriving at definitive conclusions, White limits itself to verify the following thing: to go before to an appointment is considered a lesser fault than to arrive late; Having a delay in a social commitment is less serious than being late for a work meeting and making a person of lower status wait is more tolerated than waiting for a person of higher status. ( White, L. T., Valk, R., & Dialmy, A. 2011)

In Ecuador, there is a concept known as Ecuadorian Hour, so if someone tells you to be there at 3 pm its most likely everyone will be there at 4 pm. But why do this phenomena occurs The perception of time is an essential element to understand the phenomenon of delay. As early as 1959, the anthropologist Edward T. Hall made a distinction between the monochronic and polychronic conception of time. The first considers time as something linear, tangible, that can be divided into blocks.

Emphasizes the planning, the agenda. It is, wishing to summarize, the Western concept of time is money especially in prosperous countries people are more likely to be on time cause as we mentioned before time is money, but in a lot of South American countries including Ecuador whether you are on time or not won't affect your salary in almost any way. (Hart, W. B. 2002) If you look at the basic wage in Germany it is around 15 euros per hour in Ecuador is less than $400 a month if an Ecuadorian worker gets late to his office he most likely wont care as much as a German cause he isn't losing anything, while the Germans they are losing money. On the other front, polychronic time is characterized by carrying out several activities at the same time. Moreover, the exchange of these same tasks is desirable and productive. According to Raymond Cohen, professor of International Relations at the University of Jerusalem and specialist in intercultural negotiations, the polychronic conception of time means that, instead of looking at the clock, these people have no problems in being late if they are with family, friends or colleagues, because the relationship is what they consider really important The Germans are highly planned people and are very busy with their commitments and schedules, among Europeans, are famous for punctuality as much or more than English coming to compare with the accuracy of a real clock.

A famous German proverb says 'punctuality is courtesy of kings', this is not to consider punctuality as a monarchical aspect but rather a principle of respect for others. Whether in the social, occupational or business field, punctuality is a constant that says a lot about a person, and is a sign of being a respectful, serious and educated person. Now it is also true that not all Germans have that degree of perfection with respect to punctuality. However, most of them are very concerned about this, around 85% according to polls consider that German citizens take their commitments and schedules very seriously and expect the same from others. 'Five minutes before the hour is the punctuality of the German ', dictates the popular philosophy.

Not only this but the Germans are a collective society they care about the wellbeings of others and they know that by being late to an appointment they can create an undesirable situation for someone else.

Conclusion

Both countries have similarities and differences like any nation worldwide, however, an Ecuadorian going to Germany or a German coming to Ecuador can be more prone to a culture shock especially if they are visiting to make businesses. Germans are punctual and to the point, while for Ecuadorians time is more relative and being late doesn't cost them anything, unlike the Germans. Their culture can also be expressed through their art which is filled with symbolism and it helps to understand the history of the country and their culture. You can understand their national pain, grievances, and national pride. Even though they have a different history they both try to use art as a tool for progress and peace.