It is something between an entry and a comment.I thought of bringing it forward for all what it means.I took the liberty of publishing this on Let The Sun Shine from a comment posted by UmmEl3yal on her blog referring to "How do you define a Middle Eastern person?" previously posted here.

Eastern cultures in general have what is called an "external locus of control" which, in brief, means they (we) believe that control over their (our) environment lay outside themselves (ourselves). This is typically due to religious beliefs, political oppression, authoritarian education and upbringing and many other factors. So, unlike Western cultures, the belief in the individual’s ability of creating a change is very limited. So we tend to "wait" for others (God, our father, tribe head, teacher, Emir, King. Etc…) to make a change.

Yet, as with any aspect of cultural characteristics, they are dynamic and can change :)