one world, separate lives.

it is amazing to me how different the world looks from other parts of the globe. i've spent my entire college and graduate career studying other cultures and places different than my own, but nothing compares to going into another place and experiencing it. i can't even say that i had enough time to really even begin to understand any other culture than my own, but i could see stark differences. 

everything just seems so petty right now. i guess going into social work we are schooled in that. when you see huge world problems, smaller issues seem pretty insignificant, even though we know they're not. i always refer to my favorite quote from the perks:

i think that if i ever have kids and they are upset, i won't tell them that people are starving in china or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they are upset. and even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have. 

                 
i mean, this quote holds a lot of truths. but after seeing some of the sights i've seen, and hearing some of the stories i heard, i feel conflicted. i think my issue lies not in the fact that people have personal issues that make them upset, even though they have a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs, but rather the lack of compassion i see everyday for those around them. it's easy to get wrapped up in your own issues, who hasn't? but the state of the world is a clear indicator of people only caring about those who look and think like themselves. how would the world be different if colonization didn't occur? i've heard people blame religion & barbarity but the roots have to be stronger than that. is it better to just try and do the best we can with the current system, or really try and change the system? to think it's impossible is foolish, but to think it will be easy is naive.