Lately we have been surrounded by news about hate, violence, conflicts, bad political decisions... The events that have been going on in the States are despicable and show the worst side of humanity. Hate killings, threats, attacks to minorities, the victory of abusers over victims... Things just seem to get worse and worse. The bad news are not only going in the U.S., but worldwide. Back home they canceled the construction of the new airport and the economy is on the verge of collapsing again due to that. Also, insecurity is the highest it has ever been for the past years and the country doesn't seem to get any closer to peace. The political system is on the ground and we have been in an internal war for more than ten years now (with more than 500,000 deaths.) No wonder I have felt challenged, mad, frustrated and overwhelmed lately. I have read multiple blog posts about my fellow GloSchos, and I realize that many are also mad or irritated at the current events.
As privileged college students, attending a high-level university with admirable professors and a program dedicated to preparing its students for the betterment of the world, the bar could not have been set higher. We have this weight on our shoulders now. All of us have the ability and desire to help the world. While we are all on parallel paths here in GloScho, they will soon separate. Each one of us is going to be thrown into a complicated professional world, with well-established institutions and organized systems. Suddenly, we are going to feel like there is no way to change it all. To fix it. All the theories we are learning, all the ideals we have, the plans, everything is going to be challenged. For some of us, it might even seem as if there is no way of getting it right. That's life and there is no other way around it. However, what I'm trying to do with this blog reflection is not to make that pressure feel bigger and mortify already very stressed out college students. Actually, my goals is directed towards making the pressure feel a little less heavy. To do that I only have one humble piece of advice: The only way to change the world is one life at a time. I know this sounds cliché and like total B.S., but it works. Trust me. We are not going to single-handed eradicate violence, poverty, hate, racism, global warming or any other problem. Recognizing that is the first step, and it is a hard pill to swallow sometimes. Yet, if we dedicate what we are learning here, plus our own personal talents, towards helping one person, soon many more will follow. For some of us it means reaching out to a certain marginalized group. For others it is about cleaning some small part of our environment or helping someone in their everyday context. That person might even be yourself somedays, and that is fine too. It doesn't matter who or how, as long as every day we work towards improving the conditions in which a person lives. If we act this way we are improving the world. If we focus our goals towards saving one life, everything else is possible too. I refuse to believe that as Global Scholars we are not special because we are. We are a select group in an already filtered group of students at AU, and we have a big responsibility: using the opportunities and talents we have to improve at least ONE life. No pressure. "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -Gandhi. (Sorry for the long post, I needed to get put these thoughts out for everyone. Thank you if you made it all the way to the end. Hope all of these helps at some point in your life.)
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AlonsoI'm from Mexico City. I love cooking and eating Mexican food. Archives
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