World We Imagine Part 1
When I think about the greatest problems in the world now, I think about the wealth inequality present in our communities here in LA, in the US, and the whole world. It's easy to think our lives are normal and want more - all we see online on social media and through TV/movies are the lives of the ultra wealthy broadcasted to the world which seem so great. Just in Los Angeles, there are pockets were people barely make enough money to feed themselves daily and there are $100 million dollar homes in the hills with more workers than the average business.
These are just the differences present in California, one of the nicest states in one of the richest countries in the world. As we have seen through a few videos in our class, there are people struggling to get clean water and food in developing countries whose problems are far greater than ours in LA.
I think there's a problem with the average American upbringing. We're taught to idolize wealthy people and celebrities, which in turn affects our values as kids growing up to work very hard to achieve the best life for ourselves. Social media is the most accurate depiction of our common values because of how information spreads, and what's out on the internet can be very crass. When we only focus on working hard for ourselves, it's easy to lose grasp of what is important in life and become selfish.
There are a number of ways to realign our common American values. I think I was very fortunate with my education as a kid because my middle school and high school both placed an emphasis on our connection with nature, community service, and philosophy - knowledge and experiences that help put the world in perspective. By studying philosophy, we can start to question the human experience and shared values and begin to prioritize what matters in our life, hopefully realizing that it's not just about us but our communities and the greater world. Having a strong connection with nature has made me realize how irrelevant society is if we don't preserve and protect the environment we live off of. And in high school, community service revealed the importance of giving back no matter the size of the impact, because one our purposes in life is to help others.
I think the most important objective to improve humanity should be access to education. We are so fortunate to be at one of the leading universities in the world and I only wish that everyone in the world could have some form of this education. I wonder if USC could provide an online platform for learning basic skills that people in other countries could access online to improve their lives. It wouldn't be as in depth as our education in Marshall, but our school has the resources to create an educational platform that would improve the lives of so many people regardless of age or major. USC could set up institutes in developing countries at a low cost by providing computers that would connect to the USC platform, offer basic english, math, and science courses that would in turn better prepare those students to create impact in their communities. If we can spread the idea of shared responsibility for our environment and our communities, with each community doing their part, it would be much easier to tackle the problems in the world.
Our school has connections with some of the most important organizations and people in the world. If they could contribute time and resources to a project like this, USC would be able improve the lives of so many people (and also fix its image).
As for me, I want to get involved in organizations that seek this impact and actively invest and make decisions to better the lives of others. I hope to work for an impact fund or a bank's division for sustainable investing that focuses more on improving social capital and doesn't just focus on profitability. There are a lot of organizations and resources in the world that have the power to make change - that is something I hope to help facilitate.
Hi Baylor! I like a lot of the issues that you brought up in this post. Having grown up in LA, I completely agree that the wealth disparity is VERY wide here and that many people in this city are extremely materialistic. I also agree that improving access to education is probably one of the most effective ways to bring the wealth gap by improving opportunities for disadvantaged people both in LA and around the world as you mentioned. As far as your idea for USC to take the initiative of helping to provide education in low income countries, my advice is to look for a charity or impact fund that USC could partner with to make this initiative possible. The reason I think it would be important for USC to partner with a charity is that many tuition paying parents may have an issue with their tuition money funding this project rather than their own children's education. When it comes to implementation, I agree that USC has many connections with organizations around the world and I definitely think that would help to facilitate a smooth rollout of the program. Overall, great idea! -Andrew Piazza
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor, I loved reading your post about wealth disparities, education, and overall how that also ties into our political, social, and enviromental atmosphere within the U.S. specificaly. The points you raise are ones that I feel people do not invest the time in to really understand, and I am glad to see that you are taking the time! I have always with the argument that because someone "made" the money on their own, they are entitled to it and all that comes with it. In my opinion, work is a very broad term, and some peoplle work wayyyy harder than fortune 500 CEO's but will never see 100 dollar bill n their lifetime. I wish that we could support one another more. I think charities are hepful but flawed as well as many rich people manipulate the system to receive tax breaks and in turn give less money back to society. I am very interested in your topic and cannot wait to hear your proposal. Best!
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Hi Baylor! I loved reading your post about how you want to improve the world. I am also very conscious of wealth disparity continuous to expand in our country and I also feel education really is a key. I have often heard several "gurus" who argue that education is not very helpful but I feel as though their arguments really lack an international perspective. I love how you are passionate about using USC connections to solve some of these tough problems and I certainly think that is the right way to think about approaching these large scale problems. I feel it would also be a good initiative to have USC focus on how they can lower education costs for all students as that would unlock alot of potential for graduates without debt and interest payments. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor! I like how in the beginning of your post you brought up the range of wealth in Los Angeles. I also think its crazy to see some areas so wealthy and a walk down the street, we see areas so poor, it's extremely sad. I definitely agree with you & believe that accessible education is a great way to make this place a better world! It often times becomes difficult, especially when people come from low income families and people may need to work right after high school to help their family. I think about how education could be more accessible often. In my extended family, I'm the only one to have gone to a prestigious university, most of them we're high school drop outs & so they often talk to me as if I'm better than them and it's something that makes me feel really uncomfortable when I'm with them. I don't think I'm better, I transferred in from a community college, and USC is very difficult, but I also think just continuing your education is difficult in general. I always tell my extended family that if they want to go to a 4-year university it's definitely possible, they just have to realize that. It's incredibly hard for people to dream for things they have no clue about, and I know up until recently a lot of high schools in poor poc communities weren't really having interactions with universities and the students weren't being exposed to the option of going to college after graduation. I was really lucky that my school had started college trips for the student where we'd spend weekends visiting campuses and the guides were usually alumni of my high school, I think it really opened my eyes up to the possibilities I could achieve. If more schools were to offer programs such as the college trips I think college would be more accessible to low income students. I really enjoyed reading about what you think would make the world a better place!
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