CFC INSIGHTS: Global Citizenship: May the Flocks Converge

       As human beings, I believe we have many nested identities. There are roles we play in our local community, our country, and on a much larger scale, the world. Globalization is just one form of community. I don’t think there is necessarily a threshold to cross in order to achieve the title of being a true global citizen. We can’t exactly measure how much or how long it takes to become globalized. Instead, we can use diversity as a strength consistently moving us forward. For me, this means hanging paintings from Central America in my room, laying my coffee cup down on a coaster made in Australia, spending time with my friends of all different backgrounds and cultures and listening to their unique philosophies and beliefs, wearing jewelry made in Costa Rica... It is by partaking in circumstances like these, or being active in these ways that allow us to take responsibility in the world. What’s beautiful is we live in a world of many choices, and we have control over how we make them. We can create our own definition of what it means to be a global citizen, and this is by deciding what role we play, where we play it, with who we do it, and how. 

In the July 21st zoom session on global citizenship with fire-starter April Rinne, we unleashed a world of ideas—about the world! We flew through many different proposals and realized more about the various places we have nested our identities, and how we can better apply ourselves and our individual abilities, interests, and passions in our life. I feel there is some genuine power in taking a bottom-up approach, or starting at an individual level. Often times it helps to do some personal reflection and see which aspects of our lives and the world we feel the most naturally inclined to and strongly engaged with. 

         For me, personal reflection has shed light upon which perspectives we take in our daily lives. Is it a humanistic perspective? Ecological? For me, I adhere to both of those—with many of the actions I take, I ask myself how the activity I am partaking in will either benefit or harm someone in my city, across the country, or the globe in the long run. My unnecessary driving DOES contribute to greenhouse gas emission, and therefore climate change—a global issue…so I make very conscious and intentional decisions in that sense. I also care deeply about others’ well-being and their education. When I am teaching a group of children especially, I want to be sure they are building a global mindset and are exposed GREATLY to diversity. So in the future, I plan to intentionally set up a classroom with artifacts from a wide array of countries, have maps and globes on the tables, bring in food of many cultures, and of course be open and encouraging for all children to share their own stories, backgrounds, language, religion, and much, much more. But first thing first: Personal Reflection. It’s such apowerful, transformational conversation to have with yourself. This little bit of soul searching helps to discover more about where your passions lie and where your true identities are nested…this way you can apply yourself to that area and contribute to the health of either your community, the country you were born, the world, and/or all the above. We all relate to the world in different, unique ways. So let’s venture to uncover and acknowledge those ways.  

I think being a global citizen requires a certain amount of humility, a humility that comes from the recognition of variation and difference. It’s not comparing your country or direct community to the next, but it is noticing the differences and feeling comfortable and empathetic with people who grew up dissimilarly to you. Whether physically traveling to another place, or simply using technology and the internet and its wondrous capabilities to present to us information and pictures from all over the world, broadening our scope helps us to think beyond ourselves.

I imagine that it’s vital we see where our nested identities are, and fly to those nests with open wings, an open mind, and an open heart filled to the brim with acceptance and empathy. It seems that when we lack familiarity with people or situations we tend to feel afraid. The unknown can make us wary and skeptical. And this is why I feel it’s best to consistently journey with a different flock, and use our nested identities and the roles that those identities bring out for us to see and appreciate the beauty in the other feathers that exist. So be free… expand where you fly and who you touch. 

Above all, I profoundly believe that curiosity is an extremely key driver of global citizenship. I feel curiosity allows us to dig deeper into the unknown, travel down paths with new and exciting destinations, uncover a greater wealth of knowledge, open the mind to new people and places, looking at circumstances from multiple angles and allowing everything and everyone that you come across teach you something special. Personally, I feel curiosity means practicing student-mindedness. Sheer curiosity enables us to think and inquire about both the little details of our experiences, and the overall bigger picture. It engages our critical thinking and inspires us to ask good questions, about the world and others. How does what I do each day affect the whole of humanity? How does it affect the land I share? And this is what global citizenship is. It’s defined by one’s relationship to the shared soil and a diverse group of people, rather than being closed-minded or apprehensive due to state boundaries or borders. Perhaps it’s best when we view our lives as an inquisitive journey for new possibilities and as an exploration through uncertainties to truly embrace.  

I believe we need deeply focused and profoundly rich conversations with one another to create a space of unity as well as room for healthy tension, if it were to come up. No matter our differences, we are all human beings of the EARTH, not one specific location. Home isn’t a place; it’s a feeling—a feeling we get when we rip down walls and lines conveying division, and instead look into the eyes of other human souls and experience harmony, peace, and interconnection among all. Home is a feeling we embrace whenever we are immersed with others who bring out these various identities we have nested and make us feel defined and whole again. And this is what it means to be a global citizen. It’s seeing a borderless globe and understanding our own social responsibility in which we use our own unique abilities and passions to make the world holistically better for humankind. 

I envision that we can work to be more mindful of how we connect with not only others, but also ourselves, understanding who we are and the kinds of perspectives we take on situations. Connecting with ourselves presents us with a clearer vision of how we will relate and participate in the world and how we will articulate our own relationship with the planet, looking at the earth as ONE large entity from a bird’s eye view. At the end of the day, we all want to love and be loved. We want to spread happiness and also receive it, and motivate others to do the same. In doing so, we can circulate love, empathy and joy, flying through an ever-connected world using our wings of curiosity and inspiration. 

Amanda PosaComment