Culture can be a prison - "afraid of mud, escape to thorns"

Jiggers (Tunga penetrans) are parasitic fleas that are native to Central and South America. They were inadvertently introduced to Africa centuries ago by European traders. In many parts of Africa, there is a tradition of going barefoot, which unfortunately can lead to jigger infestations of the feet. The only solution is to cut the fleas out with a knife. It's a slow, messy, and painful process. 

Simon's Jigger Removal - Jiggers Dug Out!

I lived in a jigger endemic area in Africa for a few years. It is easy enough to avoid infection by wearing cheap flipflops. The same is true of avoiding hookworm which is found in North America and many other places. Something like half a billion people may be infected with hookworm, and it could all be stopped through proper sanitation and not going barefoot.

Going barefoot has also been common in parts of Indonesia. An Indonesian proverb is quoted in the title of this post. It's equivalent to the English saying "out of the frying pan and into the fire". 

Oddly enough, there are Americans who are so obsessed with shoes, they riot over them:

Nike shoe release sparks riot in Orlando

Alcoholism in Ireland has been bad enough that scientists wondered if those of Irish ancestry have a genetic predisposition for it.

In China, the preference for sons is such that there are tens of millions more men than women.  

In these and other cases, people do themselves and others needless harm out of beliefs which do not hold up under scrutiny. 

Many times, people put up with things because they see no alternative or believe that life cannot change. In Japanese, that fatalism is found in the saying shikata ga nai, which means "it can't be helped" or "there's nothing that can be done". In English, we sometimes say "it is what it is". 

This fatalism is wrongheaded. Things can always change, at least on the individual level or at a small scale. You don't have to always do, say, or believe as others. You might pay a price, but it will be small compared to the freedom and happiness you gain.