Our
View: Think globally, act locally
In
a roundtable discussion at the University
Student Union Thursday, guest speaker Sheik
Yassir Ebrahim discussed common misconceptions
about Islam. While considering the misconceptions,
he touched on issues of intolerance, equality
and human rights, among others. The contemplation
of these topics was enlarged to include
people of all faiths and of no faith. Ebrahim
observed that many people of college age
feel strongly about such issues. But, he
noted, they often become so enamored with
dreams of revolution that they lose sight
of practicality.
His
insight is certainly of great relevance
to the starry-eyed population of any college
in general and Cal State Long Beach in particular.
Students often become captivated by a specific
cause as a result of work within their major.
Students
of history, political science and philosophy,
among others, gain awareness of the widespread
sadness of the human condition. Psychology
majors learn about the mental difficulties
facing ordinary people. Collegians studying
biology and medicine learn of worldwide
physical pain and suffering. The list reaches
into virtually every major in some way or
another.
But
the ability of this youthful group to assist
any resolution of pressing social ills —
say, political freedom in southeast Asia,
AIDS in Africa, poverty in South America
— is severely limited. This is not
to suggest that students should not aspire
to such lofty goals, nor that they cannot
make any kind of difference.
But
the best way to attain these ideals is probably
to start small. In a city as diverse as
Long Beach (diverse ethnically, religiously
and economically) a plethora of dramatic
hardships cry out for assistance. Homelessness
and poverty are conspicuous. Infrastructure
is notably deficient in many areas. Public
safety is an ongoing concern. And right
here on campus the university funding crisis
provides students with salient reasons and
ways to get involved in a matter that affects
themselves and their peers.
As
Ebrahim reminded attendees, it is important
for people to think globally and be aware
of their own roles as people in a vast world.
But to accomplish grand things, there is
no better place to begin than their own
backyards.
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