Originally published on the CGS blog on July 1, 2015.
I consider myself a pretty culturally diverse person. I was raised as Serbian-American, and I remain highly involved in this community today. You can ask my friends. I have always been playfully teased about my “obsession” with being a Serb, inviting them to “crazy Serb” events, and forcing them to try my mother’s food.
My connection to my ethnicity inspired me to love and appreciate learning about others. I chose to major in Global and International Studies with the regional focus on Latin America and a specialization in comparative politics. Throw in a Spanish minor and a semester abroad, and there you have it: culturally diverse.
My fascination with global affairs also led me to apply for an internship with Global Solutions Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, when I read their Spring Fundraiser program last week during the event, they had a section about “Global Engagement” that caught my attention:
“What does it mean to be globally engaged?”
I had always associated the word “global” with international; over there; foreign and exotic lands different than my own. But is that always the case? What does it really mean to be globally engaged? Can you be globally engaged in your own backyard?
Merriam Webster defines global as “involving the entire world.” Although that can mean abroad, it doesn’t always have to. The entire world includes the United States. It includes your state, your city, and your home. How is it possible to be globally engaged in your own neighborhood, though? Can you make a global impact without a passport?
The amount of injustice around the world is absurd. How many times have your parents told you to eat your dinner because there are starving kids in Africa? Well, they are correct. Seventy-five percent of the world’s poorest countries are located in Africa, and a sickening one in three people living in sub-Saharan Africa are malnourished. That being said, were you aware that one in every six Americans lives in poverty, and that the population of Americans living in poverty is equal to the population of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska combined? Poverty is not a far-away problem; a distant or foreign concept solely stereotyped with abandoned African children. Poverty is global.
Another issue that affects all humans living on this earth is climate change. Environmental affairs are often seen as a domestic issue. However, the environment is a concept that affects every single one of us, whether we agree with certain ideologies or not.
Just this week, Pope Francis addressed climate change in his 183-page encyclical. In this document, the Pope states that humans are the main cause of global warming and climate change. He then analyzes the science behind global warming and provides suggestions for curbing the problem. Francis advises all humans to not cook more than they can eat, to wear an extra sweater instead of turning on the heat, and to carpool or walk to work if possible.
Pope Francis marked a turning point in focusing on this controversial topic. Many conservative Catholics are climate change skeptics, which makes the encyclical that much more significant. The Pope is an important Catholic figure that represents over 1 billion individuals around the world. His goal is to awaken the people and involve the entire world in taking action.
In today’s global society, there are many aspects that connect people from different backgrounds all around the world—including injustice. We need to come together and fight for what is right. The best thing the whole world has in common right now is our dream for improving it—for ourselves and for generations to come.
Whether you travel to a third-world country, study abroad, or participate in a mission trip is up to you. While I am not diminishing any of the problems that exist in these foreign countries, it is important to be aware that injustice is a threat everywhere. Be a global citizen, but don’t think that you can’t change the world only ten minutes away from where you live.
I still consider myself multicultural. I will always feel the need to travel, live in foreign destinations, and explore different ethnicities. I encourage everyone to do the same. However, the next time you want to engage yourself on a global level, put your passport away for a while. I think you’ll be surprised to find how much of an impact you can make right outside your front door.
The full version of this article was originally published by Global Solutions Pittsburgh. It has been cross-posted with the author’s permission. To read the original, click here.
