looking beyond what’s familiar
Over the break, I had the opportunity to go on a road trip with my dad, driving from the panhandle of Florida all the way up to Manitoba, (that’s the Canadian province just above North Dakota, for those of you not so well-versed in geography.) All that time behind the wheel, miles rolling on through so many states got me thinking. Somewhere in the middle of Iowa, just after sundown, some farm boys started setting off fireworks—no doubt testing their artillery for the Fourth—when an idea came to me. As Americans, we live in an amazing country, unlike any other. In effect, it’s 50 distinct yet extremely neighborly republics—the United States. As citizens, we have unbridled access to any and all of them. You won’t be denied entry to Georgia if you’re from California, and while Ohio and Michigan may never settle their differences, there certainly isn’t an embargo between the two. Although we have the opportunity to go anywhere and do anything, not many do. Seemingly lacking in culture and international awareness, all too often, we get the reputation of being That Guy—the Ugly American.
Take a look at Europe, an entire continent that is a little more than one-third the size of the United States, a tiny mishmash of differently-tongued countries. Although at the federal level, we have no official language, our de facto language is English, and not many people pursue learning a second language beyond the two or so years required in high school. Even fewer Americans have been to all 50 states (let alone outlying districts or territories,) as many fail to venture beyond the states adjacent to their own. This isn’t all that surprising, actually; the United States ranks as the third- or fourth-largest nation, (China seems to present dubious information.)
Barring the latest natural disaster or regional political instability happening overseas broadcast ad nauseam on the major news outlets, the majority of us lead fairly isolationist existences. We have our daily and weekly routines, leading us from home to work, all pretty much on a beaten path on one side of our cities and towns. We’re caught up in our own lives most of the time, particularly here on Chiropractic Island.
I didn’t realize the extent of how much of a rock I seem to live under until we were planning the route to Manitoba and my dad had to explain that it would get “tricky” due to various detours, road closures, and construction subsequent to the flooding of the Missouri River. As I rarely read or watch the news, I was completely clueless that any of this had happened. Many people operate in this same mindset, only taking notice of what they feel affects them directly, not realizing that we are all interconnected. There is so much more beyond what lies just outside our own front doors; all we have to do is take the first step by being willing to notice and be proactive.
You don’t have to become an international media correspondent to care. Simply get involved.
There are over fifty student organizations here on campus, and every one of them can help you expand your awareness and Weltanschauung, (a German word meaning “world outlook”.) Support your state and national chiropractic organizations. Go on a mission trip. Find out about our international clinics or how you can practice abroad. You have to think big if you want to affect change. If you want to impact your community, aim for the whole city. From there, the only limits are those you impose on yourself—to change the city, aim for the state; the state, aim for the country; the country, aim for the continent; the continent, aim for world. You don’t have to be a world chiropractic domination mastermind like Liam Schübel, owning and operating 16 clinics throughout Central and South America (and always expanding,) but it still starts with you. Take that first step, and like Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
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