From American to Human: A Move Towards Globalization by Dyllan

From American to Human: A Move Towards Globalization by Dyllan - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Despite our ever progressing advances in mass media and global communications, the American youth seems evermore helplessly unaware of the world outside of its own nation. We would expect that with the ability for individuals across the globe to communicate their thoughts and ideas -- and more importantly -- their cultures almost instantaneously, the American populous would understand the global cultures outside of its own better than it does. However, americentricism is becoming ever more prominent. To combat this, however, all college students enrolled in public universities in the United States can be require to study abroad. It would be the hope that this would promote greater respect and love amongst Americans and their fellow human beings through mutual understanding of their varying cultures.

As Americans, we seem to be lagging in terms of most other developed countries in adjusting to a global culture. In many countries, for example, being bilingual is extremely normal, but here, those with the gift of tongues is considered relatively rare. If linguistic determinism alone is taken into account, we find that the implications of this are that by speaking only one language, the majority of Americans are only capable of one way of thinking. However, by requiring study abroad programs to nations with English not being the primarily spoken language, the next generation of Americans would be better able to confront our nation’s problems with multiple perspectives. Not only would we, as a nation, be better able to tackle our own issues, but to understand the complex cultures of other nations as well. Similarly, by living in another country, students can understand not only what that country holds valuable, but then, gain a greater understanding for what we value as Americans. As a Japanese-American, I understand the contrast between cultures very well, and with this, am even more proud to be an American than I already am. An American in Japan could gain respect for the polite collectivism of Japanese culture, however, this can make them understand what’s so special about being a citizen of the United States; we are an individualist nation that still manages to find harmony between our wide away of constituents. And on that same vein, students studying abroad can gain a greater respect for global issues and not just ones in the United States. We live in a country with clean air and clean drinking water. So many other people across the globe do not have this same luxury. If we send our students abroad, we will not only be able to look inwards as a nation more effectively, but outwards as well. In a time period in the United States where racial tensions are high and islamophobia is becoming widespread with the misguided belief that the religion fosters terrorism, we are in desperate need of understanding the world outside our own borders.

Despite the good that requiring American college students to study abroad can do for our own nation -- including allowing us to more effectively solve our own, unique, set of problems -- this would allow generation after generation of Americans to be more equipped to be a member of a global culture. Anymore, an individual is not just a citizen of her country, but a citizen of her planet. The problems of Uganda are not just it’s own; the problems of the United States are the entire planet’s problems. This opportunity would allow the United States to lead the world into a golden age of mutual cooperation and understanding. If we learned to stop seeing each other based on national lines, maybe we can solve the real issues facing our species.