World We Imagine Post 1: Tolerance
I am always nervous to talk about my beliefs, my values, and my principles. So writing about how I can imagine our world to be a better place is not easy because it's uncomfortable; however, the multitude of ways that our world could be a better place rush easily through my mind like a waterfall. I am sure many people would agree with me on the ways in which our world could be a better place, however, many would disagree angrily, throw a fit, and even threaten to no longer be friends with me. It is why I believe tolerance needs to be more prevalent in today's society. Tolerance does not mean acceptance, but it means that we can respect that different people have different beliefs and opinions. Tolerance needs to be taught from a young age; that we should be respectful of all religions, not just some, and respect and understand that many people will have different opinions on controversial topics.
In today's society, members of different religions and political parties are persecuted for what they believe, and that is heavily reliant on the actions of the mainstream media. The media has a strong tendency to influence the way the masses think and feel, so when many media outlets only sway one way and have a biased opinion, they heavily influence their audiences to think and feel similarly. It would truly be great if there were more independent media and news sources that weren't strictly on the side of left or right. I have yet to find a truly great and trustworthy unbiased media source.
This lack of tolerance has caused so much pain and destruction - rifts in families, strong friendships and relationships ending, tension in the workplace, even the firing of employees because of differing opinions and values. I truly believe that if everyone respected each other's personal opinions more, we would be living in a much better, more tolerant world, where diverse values could flourish, not just one universal opinion on every subject known to man that everyone must share.
Hey Ashley! Your thoughts on tolerance and respect for diverse beliefs are really important. Specifically, this is an issue a directly relate with due to my upbringing in the Middle East. Given that most middle eastern countries are very strict and conservative in their approaches, many have their religions, beliefs, and opinions all suppressed. It can indeed be challenging to discuss such topics, but looking at next steps I would look into possibly participating in community forums, online discussions, or local events tailored to DEI or even establishing an online presence through social media to vouch for such ideas. Sharing your perspective can inspire others to think critically about the media and foster more respectful dialogue overall.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, I really relate to what you said about oftentimes being nervous to share a personal value or belief. I was raised being told to avoid being vocal about any potentially controversial topic and it is now a habit that has kicked in more often than not. To address your concern of the media producing a lot of biased opinion pieces, perhaps you would work on building an informative platform that focuses on generating content that is minimally biased to help educate others. Maybe your struggle to find a truly great and trustworthy media source and your recognition of the existing biases in media are both a sign that you should be the one to create the new media source for factual information!
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, I really resonated with much of what you said in this post and feel your frustration on the growing intolerance in the world around us. Such difficult topics can be uncomfortable, polarizing, and sometimes even isolating, but so fundamentally important - especially today where religion, culture, politics can supersede everything else and truly shape the world's trajectory. I believe that everyone is entitled to their beliefs in sofar as it does not harm or dehumanize other communities and identities. I think that it can be worth exploring blogging or engaging in online discourses on platforms that foster inclusive discussions while debating important topics.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, thank you for bringing up this topic and sharing your thoughts! have similar sentiments, but never know how to articulate it. Religion, culture, and politics can be uncomfortable to talk about, but it doesn't have to be if we learn to respect one another for our own values. I think what's so beautiful about humans is that over centuries of history we've been able to have such diverse traditions and culture worldwide. However, as we've become more interconnected through globalization, it feels as though we want to become a monolith of views and ideas. I believe that tolerance would also mean we're able to accomplish so much more as a supportive society. I'm excited to hear what ideas you have next Wednesday in class, and again thank you for sharing!
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