Over time, the cultures of European countries and North America have become more diverse in some ways and have shared qualities in others. Culture is defined as the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement considered collectively. With the invention of mass media, the diffusion of cultural norms exploded. With increasing cultural diffusion, it can be assumed that there are no longer many different customs between Europe and America. However, new cultural differences are created every day. Often our perception of time is shaped by the environment in which we live. In American culture, a century-old building is considered old. Whereas in European countries, a century-old building is still considered a young building. As Americans flock to European countries to admire the structural wonder of European architecture, they are exposed to buildings two thousand years old and older. These buildings are what Europeans would consider ancient. The European perception of distance constitutes another major contrast with that of many Americans. If a European traveled sixty miles, he would consider the distance quite long. However, for Americans, sixty miles is considered a relatively short distance. Much of these different perceptions of distance have to do with the difference in size of the continents. Although Europeans consider distances to be much greater than Americans, on average they travel much more than Americans. This desire to travel is perhaps linked to Europe's proximity to other countries. Much like Americans, Europeans often use the size and brand of their car as a status symbol. However, for most Europeans, a smaller car is much more practical. Unlike most...... middle of paper ....... European worshipers usually consist of elders and families during special events such as Christmas. Throughout American politics, politicians openly refer to God. In many European countries, mixing politics and religion is considered taboo. For many religious Americans, someone saying they don't believe in God would be considered extremely distasteful. In Europe, the opposite is true. Over time, the cultures of European countries and North America have diversified in some areas and shared qualities in others. Cultural diversity is not just something that exists, cultural diversity is essential to society. Without cultural diversity, countries would lose their unique character. If a country doesn't have any unique qualities, what is the point of visiting it? If no one visited other countries, the impact would be felt across multiple industries.