What am I Learning in Global Perspectives - Essay Example

 What am I Learning in Global Perspectives? The diverseness of concepts of culture correlates with the number of researchers in the field. Traditionally, culture is perceived as a cluster of symbolic meanings derived and stored in people’s minds. In other words, culture is a human-made portion of the immediate environment consisting of not only objective elements but also subjective elements (Spering, 2001). The subjective view of things consists of a multidimensional range of shared beliefs, values as well as norms of a specific group that are instantiated in each day social practices besides institutions. These views have been cultivated, transmitted, and declared functional at all times. Thus, cultures are viewed as not only end results of past behavior but also shapers of upcoming behavior. The tendency of equating culture with an ethnic group is very common in people. In connection with this claim, it is apparent there is diverseness in cultural values. The paper expounds on cultural perspectives, the impact of an individual on others and the immediate environment, and the contribution of the module used in discussion in learning. Sharing personal values to strangers is very difficult. Many people including me consider sharing personal values with people different from me as not only an unsafe practice but also the exposure of oneself weaknesses. As a result of this, it is normal to see some people avoiding at all cost to share their personal values with people different from them. However, my engagement in the discussions and lead events changed my perception on personal values. First, I learnt that it is important to share personal values. The sharing of values enables people to learn each other’s interests and to allow each other to be what they are without any confrontation. In addition to this, it is apparent that sharing of values with other people enables individuals to learn the values that they have in common. The sharing of values not only makes individuals compatible but also strengthens the foundation of relationships between people. In addition to this, the discussion proved that people learn many things in life through sharing their personal values with other people. Many people in the society correlate well with people from their race or ethnic groups. In tandem with this claim, I can affirm that majority of my friends are from my ethnic group. We cope up well with people from my ethnic group. However, this cultural practice is declining in institutions because of people’s diverseness. Currently, students are accepting people from different religious as well as spiritual traditions in their immediate environment. From the lead events and discussions we held, I realized that majority of the people question about what they are taught about the world around them. The main reason for questioning about what he has been taught is curiosity and need for more understanding. People have the tendency of needing to know more about what they are taught. In other words, the majority of the students are explorers. Despite this claim, it is evident that majority of the people including me do not think my life regarding giving back to the society. I often think about myself and not society in everything I do life. In connection with this, I work hard in school so that I can manage to take care of myself in the future. However, my engagement in lead events and discussions informed me on the importance of thinking about oneself regarding giving back to the society. In connection with this assertion, it is evident that many people are informed about the current issues that affect the international relations. In other words, people are involved in the continuous learning of the world’s interconnectedness and factors that impact the international relations of nations with different cultures. In tandem with what was introduced in the paragraph above, it is apparent that immigration in European countries is considered as one of the contributing factors for problems such as poor medication and societal crimes. This is in connection with the fact that illegal immigration results in the rise in the number of people in the European countries who require attendance from the governments in which they settle. From the lead events and discussions however I learnt that migration is caused by many factors and its control results in humanitarian issues. For instance, it was shown that people move from their countries because of unmanageable problems. African refugees flow to Europe because of the crisis in their states. In other words, refugee leaves their respective countries to other countries for protection of race, religion, nationalism, and fear of persecution. Initially, I considered illegal immigration of people to Europe as a minor challenge that can be addressed by coming up with strict rules on illegal immigration as well as closing borders used by illegal immigrations. However, my engagement in lead events and discussions proved me wrong. The immigration issue is very complex. In one hand, Europe nations need to prevent the immigration of people because of limited resources and crimes associated with immigration (Martin, 2013). On the other hand, refugees who flow into European countries need to be accepted and protected from crimes against humanity. Thus, my engagement in lead events and discussions taught me something crucial that I used to assume. Restricting migration of people to Europe countries is not the best option for handling illegal immigration issue in the European countries. The closure of borders exposes people from war tone African countries to danger. From my engagement in lead events and discussions, I finally understood that control of immigration is a humanitarian issue that has that is difficult to address effectively. The restriction of Africans’ migration to European nations is a portrayal of discrimination against Africans. Many people are sensitive to discrimination because of its impact on individuals. From the discussions and lead events, I learnt that nations need to come up with new solutions to the problems in African countries that cause immigration. It is only through managing those problems that developed nations can manage to control illegal immigration. In addition to this, developed nations need to be at the forefront in fighting individuals that jeopardize the freedom of other people in African countries and not to take part in discriminating against Africans. Brain drain is very common in developing and third world countries because of unemployment. It is as a result of the poor economy that many nations do not afford creation of jobs for their people. My engagement in lead events and discussions, however, introduced other reasons that contribute to the brain drain in nations including those from the Middle East. According to lead events and discussions, many youths from undeveloped countries are protestors and bloggers. Youths use social media to fight for their civic rights. In addition to this, youths participate in peaceful movements not only to control corruption but also to protect human rights. Unfortunately, many countries restrict youths from airing their grievances making them lose trust in institutions and governments. According to the lead events and discussions I engaged in, these are the main contributing factors for youths in MENA regions migrating to other nations. The solution to this problem is empowering youths. Youths need to have the freedom of questioning corrupt practices of their leaders in addition to accessing good jobs that will position them at the right place for fighting and advocating civic rights. Terrorism is perceived by many cultures as a practice that destroys systems that exist. Terrorism is an unprecedented intrusion of governments and lives. In most occasions, terrorism is not selective, and it is as a result of this that states interrelate to do away with it. The management of this problem is affected by many challenges that take place in the immediate society. According to the lead events and discussions, the majority of the nations that lead regarding terrorism consist mainly of the young population. In other words, young population of the age below 25 makes up the highest percentage of terrorists. The factors that influence many youths into engaging in terrorism acts include socio-economic challenges in addition to unemployment. In addition to this, I learnt from my engagement in lead events and discussions that social media is the main challenge as well as the main contributor to violence and security issues in the society. In other words, the cultural practice of youths contributes significantly to terrorism problem in the world. Thus, control of the usage of social media is one of the best approaches for managing terrorism problem in the world. Killer robots are devices that are remotely controlled by different military as well as civilian purposes. Apart from being equipped with cameras, killer robots are armed with missiles. They can select as well as engage targets once activated without any intervention by human operators. From the discussion, we also learnt that killer robots can think and make decisions. In addition to this, they can use force without human control. The United States is one of the nations in the world that uses killer robots in the provision of security. For the past years, the U.S. reliance on killer robots has increased significantly. In tandem with the excessive usage of killer robots, the discussion showed that use of robot killers reduce suffering and death in war significantly. In connection with this argument, it is evident that use of killer robots in attacking enemies will change the nature of war. Apart from reducing the loss of lives and injuries in the battlefield, they will enable countries to fight terrorists effectively and with limited resources. However, usage of this technology has a lot of controversies. First, misuse of robot killers is very common. These devices also dehumanize wars in addition to harming civilians. In tandem with the above paragraph, it is apparent that usage of killer robots by nations results in many privacy and civil rights issues. In most occasions, the device kills innocent people because of poor management. In addition to my perception on killer robots, I learnt that taking of life by technology is one of the issues that bother many people. My engagement in lead events and discussions advanced my knowledge of the culture of killer robots. First, I learnt that nations use killer robots to bring people to justice. In other words, killer robots are designed in a way that they carry out their roles effectively. In addition to this, I learnt that usage of killer robots is associated with some challenges on the ground. Many private sectors are developing them, and as a result of this, killer robots are misused by rich individuals. In connection with this assertion, it is apparent that only powerful nations use killer robots. The usage of killer robots by specific nations results in the arms race in addition to the creation of a gap between rich and poor nations. As a result of this, the poor nations become victims and targets of the killer robots since they cannot afford to use them to counter attacks and surveillance by other nations. From the discussion I engaged in, I learnt that killer robots are rarely controlled by people when they are executing attacks. The unmanned killer robots contribute to innocent deaths. It is as a result of this that many humanitarian organizations are calling for killer robots to be controlled by a person carrying out humanitarian missions. From the usage of drones by powerful nations, a person can deduce that use of killer robots is a culture of the rich countries. The discussion portrayed the essence of managing or banning usage of killer robots completely. This was about the fact that they result in more harm compared to their contributions to states. From the discussion, it is apparent that killer robots will be misused further if they are not regulated by international organizations. As a result of this, the main solution to the problem is to control the usage of killer robots as well as to regulate the possession of killer robots by states. However, the discussion showed that usage of this technology has many potential consequences. This culture can only be managed by allowing only responsible nations to access drones in addition to international organizations regulating the possession of drones by nations in the world. According to Banaji and Greenwald (2014), people carry hidden biases in their lifetime of experience with social groups such as age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and sexuality. It is the hidden biases of an individual that make him or her like or dislike someone. The hidden biases also make an individual make judgments about other people’s character, potential as well as abilities. Hidden bias acts as a barrier to not only inclusion in our lives, but also workplaces and communities. In most occasions, hidden bias reinforces stereotypes and prejudice in a given community. In connection with this argument, I can affirm that my hidden bias has affected people close to me as well as the environments in which I occupy. My association of gentlemen wearing studs with homosexual practice has affected the interrelationship of many people with not only individuals who wear studs, but also other people who consider the practice as part of life. In most occasions, I have also seen the majority of my friends with studs failing to make an eye contact when handshaking. These individuals also seem less attentive when and supportive when compared with other people. From my observation, I can deduce that my paying attention to people’s social aspects in life resulted in unconscious bias. This bias has resulted in decisions or responses that are interpreted as stereotyping and have caused division of my friends. From the lead events and discussions, I learnt that management of hidden biases is very crucial. Apart from enhancing good correlation between people, it reduces chances of rift development between people in a given organization. Some of the solutions proposed in the lead event for hidden biases include self-assessment, reflection, and humility. In support of this claim, it is evident that self-assessment will aid an individual think of others as oneself. In other words, self-assessment and reflection make an individual to belief in equality that is essential. In addition to this, Battams and Spinks (2013) assert that open communication plays a very significant role in the management of hidden biases. According to Battams and Spinks involvement in dialogue enables an individual to determine his hidden biases and also to control them so that they cannot affect him or other people. In connection with the above paragraph, I learnt that there are two main types of discrimination in the world; Gender-based discrimination and racism. The assumptions made about the majority of the people is influenced either by their gender or skin color. In support of this assertion, the lead events showed that blacks are the main victims of discrimination. The stereotypic practices such as homosexuals and other un-societal practices are associated with them. According to the lead events and discussions, these types of discrimination can be overcome by controlling our assumptions about other people. In other words, the lead events concluded that assumptions are the leading contributors for discrimination. According to Louise, Sumi and Heather (2010), people pursue education mainly because they need jobs in future. Their claim correlates with what many people believe about going to university. From the lead event and the discussions, it was evident that a significant number of people consider university as a platform for future jobs. However, my engagement in the lead events and discussions brought in other reasons for people going to universities. For instance, it was argued that people go to universities because of three main reasons; self-development, citizenship, and employment. According to the discussion, the majority of the people claim that universities are for self-development. It is going to universities that students diversify their knowledge about other cultures in addition to advancing their knowledge. I also learned from the module that universities assist students to define themselves as well as realize what they can contribute to their society. In addition to this, it was argued in the discussion that going to university grants individuals the right of making their personal decisions in life. In other words, universities provide the environment for growth and development. Assessments are very common in the universities despite the claim that universities are there to cultivate individuals’ creativity. The majority of the students, as well as staff, disregard the assessment of students in the university. From the discussion, however, I learnt assessment of students in universities is very important. According to the module, assessment enables students to determine what they are not potentially good at for correction. It was argued in the discussion that assessment triggers students’ attentiveness. According to these claims, it is apparent that students cannot realize their weakness, and they can also fail to keep a check on their progress in life if they are not assessed. In addition to this, I learnt that universities teach students on how to survive in the competent environment and also show them how to work properly in the society. In other words, learning in the universities enhances self-transformation in addition to evaluating the future. In conclusion, the diverseness in cultural practices influences people’s behavior and their correlation. Sharing personal values is important since it enhances the learning of other people and their culture. Effective learning is defined by zeal for knowing everything in life including international relations and their challenges. Challenges to international relations include migration of people from African countries to European countries. Effect of migration in developing countries includes brain drain. Apart from insecurity issues, people specifically youths migrate from their countries because of youth disempowerment. One of the contributing factors for insecurity in nations is terrorism that is catalyzed by social media. Developed nations tackle terrorism problem through the use of killer robots. These robots, however, have many controversies since they result in the death of civilians. Apart from insecurity threats and loss of trust in institutions and governments, hidden biases result in miscommunication and conflicts in institutions and organizations. The biases often portray discrimination against gender and skin color. From the module, it is evident that learning in university is mainly for self-development. List of references Banaji, M. & Greenwald, A., 2013. Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People. New York: Delacorte Press, 2013 Battams, N. & Spinks, N., 2013. Diversity and Inclusion: Understanding the Impact of Unconscious Bias. Available at: http://www.vanierinstitute.ca/include/get.php?nodeid=3596 Louise, A., Sumi, H. & Heather, M., 2010. Urban Youth And Schooling. New York: McGraw- Hill Education (UK). Martin, P., 2013. The Global Challenge of Managing Migration. Available at: http://www.prb.org/pdf13/global-migration.pdf Spering, M., 2001. Current issues in Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research Topics, Applications, and Perspectives. Available at: https://www.psychologie.uni- heidelberg.de/ae/allg/mitarb/ms/cross-cultural%20psy.pdf Read More