A World We Dare to Imagine Part 1
A World We Dare to Imagine Part 1
It’s a little hard to imagine what the world will be like when I graduate. I feel like I have so much unwarranted hope and positivity that clashes with my waves of cynicism. Who knows what the future holds? Probably a lot more pain, division, violence, and other evils presented to us at the current moment. However, I dare to imagine a world that perseveres through these hardships.
Sometimes I wonder how there came to be so much evil. Although I can also be judgemental and negative, at the end of the day, it feels so good to be kind to others. True, deep kindness and selflessness can be so gratifying. I think others get too caught up in the whirlwind of money and power that they forget what really makes them happy at the end of the day. In my perfect world, everyone would look at the person next to them with empathy and continuously put themselves in another’s shoes.
It’s hard to imagine a world without all these negative things. I think it is because if all humans were truly treated as equals, it would be difficult to hold on to this individualistic society that America has created, which is the lense through which I view the world. Americans have been brought up to believe that everyone is different. Everyone is special. Everyone is good at something and has their strengths and weaknesses. This could be true, but if suddenly people were to be truly seen as equals, how could we be that different from each other? What would the world look like if rich people started to view poor people as themselves, just born into a different situation? Hard work cannot guarantee anything.
And yet, although it is hard to imagine, I do pray for a world where everyone can act in the best interest of each other. Community. Empathy. Love. Understanding. This is the foundation of a world in which we dare to imagine. The reason I love studying other cultures so much is because I want to bridge that gap that stems from cultural differences and misunderstandings, to bring us one human closer to acting in solidarity as a world. As I write, I realize that so much of this hate and evil stems from misunderstanding and fear. A fear of survival in a sense. However, I think that we as humans have progressed enough to overcome this prehistoric fear that we need to bring others down in order to survive. In fact, the best way we can strive is to bring others up with us. A world in which I dare to imagine is one that prioritizes unity, selflessness, and empathy, and condemns racism, sexism, classism, ableism, ageism, heterosexism, and any other -ism that brings others down for being born into a life they didn’t choose, but were gifted.
Hey Brooke,
ReplyDeleteYour post was truly moving and it is so cool that you are active in getting involved with understanding other cultures! Empathy comes with understanding; and I think that if we all put in a little more effort in trying to understand one another the world would be a lot better. I think perhaps the next step would be providing some sort of program or place where people can come together to actively try to get to know each other. A place where we can listen to each others stories.
-Angel Perez
Hi Brooke!
ReplyDeleteYour second paragraph really stood out to me, and that is something I also wonder about 24/7; why is there so much evil in the world? I genuinely cannot imagine hurting someone else physically, emotionally, etc. to benefit myself. I agree that evil stems from misunderstanding and fear. Even survival sometimes. Still, I believe in a world full of kindness, love, and empathy instead. I hope we can grow into a society where we care for one another, and that those fears/evils aren't as big anymore in the future.
Angelica
Great post Brooke. I found it really insightful. I honestly had never thought about the values we like to uphold in America and how they conflict. It is interesting how you say that everyone being treated equal would eliminate the individuality we hold so dearly here. I think that maybe if people focused on celebrating their differences rather than shying away from them we might see each other on a more level plane. I can relate when you were talking about having a cynical view of the world sometimes as I too have a hard time thinking about all the pain and suffering out there and still believing that people care about more than just themselves.
ReplyDeleteBrooke,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post! I often have the same feelings about the world. It feels like the world is so negative and that nothing will get better. It also feels that the individualism of the west is the problem sometimes. Like how can we expect people to see everyone as equsl if were all different. But I also see how at the deepest point of our individualism, we see that everyone is together in that feeling of individualism which allows us to see them in an empathetic way. Great to hear your thoughts!
Michael Davidson