Why do I want to go away?

Recently I have been reflecting on a lot of things in life.  My values, morals, beliefs, and dreams (just to name a few).  I am a very strong willed and independent person, and consequently I have many strong opinions and ideas on certain issues.  In many areas of my life I set limits and made decisions long ago and have stuck to those without spending much time exploring why I made those decisions.  Second year of University has brought with it a multitude of new experiences and challenges.  It has pushed me to critically examine my core beliefs, and to grow as a person.  

In keeping with the spirit of self examination and reflection I have recently been thinking a lot about why I want to go away this summer.

Here are some of the thoughts and reflections I have had.  

A wise man once said "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding." (Albert Einstein).  I think that this is very profound and true.  I want to go away this summer to have new experiences, learn new things and most importantly work towards understanding the world around me. 

I have led a very privileged and sheltered life in suburban Canada.  I have travelled many places in the world, but it has mainly been for tourist purposes.  I have not had as many opportunities to live and learn with people from around the world as I would like to.  This summer I want to encounter and understand more cultures, I want to participate and share in the joys and sorrows of everyday life, and to experience different traditions.  I want to build and foster new relationships. 

Getting back to my whole idea about understanding being the way to foster peace, I have had a few more insights/ideas on the subject. I believe that in our world today we all to often trap ourselves into a very small and egocentric world view because we simply cannot move beyond stereotyping, polarizing rhetoric and defensive behavior.  We are so quick to place ourselves on a pedestal, and are even quicker to put down our "enemies" or the "other".  Why do we feel threatened by other peoples differences? Why can we not recognize our commonalities and at the same time celebrate our differences that make us unique?  People in the world spend to much time being suspicious of each others behavior and motivation.  We need to learn to respect and value one another.  I think that working towards understanding one another is a step in the right direction for world relations and peace.

I think that as a world community we need to create contexts where people can relate and interact in ways that facilitate an increased understanding of the beliefs, values, and fears that are held by "others" and of ourselves.  Many conflicts in the world are caused by differing values, world-views, identities and beliefs. By working towards a world of greater understanding I feel we will be working toward a more cohesive and unified global community.  I am not saying that it will solve all of the worlds problems.  There will still be fighting, there will still be disagreements, but the way we approach resolutions to these conflicts will be completely transformed.  No longer are your opponents simply the "other", they are people who have different opinions, values, beliefs, fears and dreams.  They are humans.  By fostering understanding we are fighting against dehumanization.  

I want to go away this summer and be part of this greater world understanding.  I want to broaden my world view, have new experiences, and be in fellowship with others.  I want to gain a greater understanding of issues plaguing the world today.  I want to realize how daily life differs everywhere you go, yet how there are so many delightful similarities.  This summer I want to be humbled. 

I hope that this summer will be the beginning of many experiences that will expose me to the differences in the world and foster a greater understanding of world diversity.  Ghana this summer will be a totally different and powerful experience that I hope will be a "duct tape experience" - an experience that will leave its mark on me =).  All I know for sure is that I will be more changed by this experience then the people I meet while I am away. I am not naive enough to believe that I will "save the world" or make a huge difference in Fotobi, but I have a strong feeling that my life will forever be impacted by this experience and the greater world understanding that it will bring.