WHY YOU MIGHT NOT BE WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE
1. HUMANS TRAVEL
Early migrations before there were borders brought people from our origins in Africa over millennia to the entire globe. Nomads in the Paleolithic era moved in small groups to follow grazing animals and to find growing seasons. Think of all the people that had to survive for you to be here today and all the possible routes they may have taken to get you closer to where you are today.
Have you had your DNA tested to find out your origins? What you know from your family tree may only be part of the story. If you watch genealogy TV shows like Who Do You Think You Are and Finding Your Roots you know that people are often surprised by their own roots. This impactful video by Momondo illustrates how your connections change your thinking.
This generation’s college students are traveling and studying abroad by the thousands. And, it’s having a big impact on them. Students who studied or traveled overseas often say something like “Hey, they’re just like us!”. That’s a crucial piece of understanding for any type of work they do in the future. Read more about that in What College Students Want Parents of Young Children to Know About Study Abroad. Do you think they’ll be better equipped to solve the world’s global problems when they’re running the world? I think so.
2. HUMANS TRADE
Not always peacefully and cooperatively. People have crossed borders for trade and plunder going back to the Vikings, Pirates, caravans in northern Africa, the Silk Road in Asia, European spice trade and the brutal slave trade to name a few. Today, take a look at where your fruit/clothes/chocolate/coffee/tea came from. Read the label. Instead of thinking of those as objects that came on their own, recognize that humans grew, produced, transported and cared for those things at every stage. There was expertise and labor that came from humans to bring that banana to your kitchen.
3. HUMANS CONNECT
You knew it was coming. The internet. Now almost everyone can connect! Will it be for good or evil? Hackers and trolls or Global Citizens and peacemakers? On my wish list: scientists cooperating to cure cancer and other diseases, online jobs in smaller communities that can bring people out of poverty, technology sharing for solutions to clean water and sanitation, and free access to education and information.
For now, it might be as simple as asking a stranger “What’s your story?” or “What do you think?” and then, and this is crucial, listening to the answer.
Kids are natural connectors. If you’re with a child, people of all kinds are more likely to talk to you. Also, kids are curious and open to learn about the world around them.
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