Thinking before you speak is something that is learned as a child. Being educated on an issue from many sides is something that is lacking in today’s communication. There are those that try to spread messages based on hateful and hurtful opinions learned from generations prior. It is forgotten by some that one of the core principles this country was founded upon is that diversity is what makes this country great, not one’s dominance over another based on color, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
There are people that do not like what they cannot understand. Face to face communication is lacking and we as college students, who hope to change the world, must educate ourselves on different viewpoints so we can grow peacefully and productively as a society.
What ever happened to good old fashioned conversation and civil debate?
We must understand that the diversity, particularly in South Florida, is what makes this region special. Get to know your peers. Spread the message of compassion and tolerance for difference instead of disdain or dislike. Get to know people as individuals. We must read and research multiple points of view and understand we are all born with the same mind, heart, body and soul.
“Teaching and developing critical thinking is essential to all communication,” said Philip Lane, a senior associate professor at the english department at North Campus.
While the problems of today’s political climate may not always be prevalent on campus, it is obvious in the world. We are the next generation of leaders. It is up to us to change the narrative of today’s culture. We must embrace the fact that our differences is what make this country a success and those differences will allow it to prosper in the future.
Let us spend the semester and the rest of our academic career studying from our textbooks, but let us not forget to remember that educating ourselves goes beyond what we learn in our books.
It is when we broaden our minds to better understand people that we will become a more compassionate, tolerant and progressive society.
