World We Imagine Part 1

This quote means to me that in order make the world a better place, everyone needs to be thriving. Everyone does not just include our country, but it includes the entire globe. This is because we are all living on this Earth and sharing this unique human experience together, and it is therefore our obligation globally to keep the planet and its occupants in good condition.

One way we can make the world a better place is by changing our social media habits. In my opinion, social media is an extremely toxic platform that has created a lot of mental health problems for this generation. It is extremely easy to bully and make fun of others online because people are willing to say more hurtful comments when they know they do not have to physically say it to someone’s face. Also, social media has created unrealistic living standards. Many people make their lives online appear much more fun and glamorous than what they are to seem cool and get approval from others. In return, people start to compare their own lives to these “fake social media lives” which makes them depressed because they fail to compete with these impossible standards. If as a society we begin to change our habits by treating others online with proper respect and we also become more authentic and genuine, the world would be a happier and more peaceful place.

Another way we can make the world a better place is, like the ideas of Novogratz in “The Blue Sweater,” do more hands on working and teaching in developing countries. Many people today donate to charities to help people in developing countries (which is excellent and much better than doing nothing), but it is important to realize that to make impactful change, the people of these countries need to be better educated. It is like the quote from the Bible, “Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.” Donating money to these people is a temporary plan to solving the issues of these countries. However, what Novogratz did was go out and educate these people and teach them how to do things like run an efficient and profitable business which helps create generational change in their country. If we want to impact the world globally and make it a better place, we must follow Novogratz's lead.

Although it was not as drastic as what Novogratz did, my Freshman year at USC I was part of an organization called SCout. SCout was a program where USC STEM students went to the elementary schools in the surrounding area and taught science lessons and did experiments with students once a week. This is exactly what Novogratz means by going out and physically helping the community instead of just throwing money to help. After I graduate, I really hope to do more STEM outreach work in the community like this because I became passionate about it through this organization. It is a great feeling to help spark the change you want to see in society and I really hope to make the world a better place.