Today I traveled from Florence to Pompeii, and at my Pompeii hostel the owner immediately brought me to the dining courtyard near the swimming pool. He sat me at a table with my pot-luck roommates, one girl from Canada and another from China. What commenced was an hour-and-a-half-long conversation about the governments in our respective countries, democracy vs. communism vs. socialism, health care systems, and a host of other issues of social import. At some point I will probably delve into the conversation in detail, particularly what the girl from China told me, and write something more specific. She paints a portrait of her country that is quite distinct from what most Americans probably believe — from what I believed, for sure.
Later, I started speaking to the people at the table next to us, a family from Barcelona, Spain. They were in favor of Catalán nationalism, which is quite the controversial subject in Spain. We enjoyed an engaging conversation not solely about their desires for Cataluña, but also about the way Spanish society functions — the good and the bad.
These discussions shared a common pathway: All over the world, people see the need for change. The systems currently in place may accomplish some of the things they should, but the masses see major flaws in the machinery. Most people feel that their countries could and should function better.
For me, the greatest issue is that we do not learn from each other nearly enough.
Isn’t it about time we started looking to each other for help? Think of how much knowledge we, the human beings on this planet, could share if we tried. One of the most interesting things the Chinese girl told me was that Facebook and Twitter aren’t allowed in her country, but everyone and their mother uses the Chinese equivalents. Many people use foreign IP addresses to access forbidden news. She described how there had been a protest somewhere, and the local government initially used force to detain people, but through social media, the citizens of the country rallied and pressured the local government enough to back down.
The world is changing. Technology has finally reached a point that communication between continents is as easy as, and sometimes easier than, communication between next-door neighbors. This technology can spread world-changing ideas in moments that used to need centuries to circulate. It also, of course, can spread the news of Snooki’s pregnancy just as quickly.
There is power in this world for positive change to a degree that we have not fathomed. That power resides in the people of this planet who are willing to come together, to work together for that change. Yes, these are broad terms, but broad is exactly what we need — participation and cooperation on the broadest human scale. There is so much we have to learn from each other. Our systems of government, education, health care, security, economics, agriculture, industry — heck, even that dreaded “R” word, “religion” — can and should all benefit from a global dialogue founded on one simple question:
How can we make this better?
And on one simple principle:
Keep It Movin.
It’s something my late college RA, Keith Shawn Smith, used to say. It took me a while to decide what it meant to me, and after a while it manifested as a call to action. A duty. Understand each other. Strive for progress. Make the world better, together.
Keep It Movin.
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