I Become More Knowledgeable About the World

Child Soldier

Current Events

One issue I learned about this year was the problems of the Lord's Revolutionary Army located in Uganda and Sudan. The situation there is not a pleasant one, especially to the ears of a first world country like the USA where we enjoy many benefits of modern society. The LRA was established by a man named Joseph Kony. Kony leads the movement and believes he is a good Christian and his movement is just. The LRA is far from a noble cause. Figures say that between 20,000 and 30,000 children have been abducted by this army to be used as child warriors or even sex slaves.The threat of abduction has lead to many, many people being displaced and children are forced to even flee to hospitals every night to hide. The LRA has troubled the entire region in Uganda and torments the inhabitants with their fighting and needless bloodshed. Currently Kony is still on the run. The New York Times recently gave information stating that the Ugandan army was using former child soldiers to hunt down their former tormentor. Hopefully, this new strategy will bring Kony to justice and pay for the countless amounts of people who have had their lives ruined by his actions.

The Haber-Bosch Process

History of the 20th Century

The 20th century started out with a slew of new inventions and the world became even more deeply rooted in industry. Inventions such as the airplane, car, and more importantly to our health, the development of the Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis process. This process shaped the way to allow for more fertilizers that would feed our growing world into the first world war and the following one. After WWI self-determination would create the desire for groups of people to create their own countries and nations. This concept obviously impacts our world today, look at a map of Africa with its many nations. Three types of government; democracy, communism, and fascism all vied for power in postwar Europe. The Great Depression created turmoil on the industrialized world and there was a great sense of uncertainty. Unfortunately, WWI led to a second world war, this one being just as deadly as the first. After the war, western Europeans lost power in places like Africa and with the thoughts of self-determination, many countries formed. Technology has rapidly advanced and allowed many things from incredible medicines to horrible nuclear weapons. Civil rights in the past 50 years have increased to allow universal suffrage in many countries and most countries are now trying to modernize after shaking off old world ties and attempts at communism. The United Nations is one example of a postwar organization that is helping bring the rest of the world to the same page as wealthy nations like the United States.

Racism has no basis in genetics.

Human Diversity

In this semester we learned about the term "Race." In actuality there are no races of people. genetically we are all the same and the concept of race is in and of itself, skewed. A common example of a characteristic which we identify as race is one's skin color. In actuality, there are no differences between a person with dark skin or light colored skin. The person with darker skin has merely spent more time out in the sun whereas the other, lighter, person has not. It has been genetically shown that we are all genetically 99.9% the same. The concept of race justified social inequalities as normal, natural things. That misconception of race has led to the problems of racism faced in the world today, when we all know that humans, are all simply, humans.

The Blue Hole, New Mexico

Places on the Earth

Certain areas of this earth are truly different than the rest of the world. Sure, every little acre of land is unique compared to the last, but some places defy the stretches of human imagination. Places like Mt. Everest, the Great Coral Reef, and the Victoria Falls change the human perspective on the wide world in which we live. These extremes of nature beg us to explore them, to conquer them. No greater example of this urge to conquer the wild is that of the Mt. Everest climbers. These brave men and women go against the hellish frozen conditions to scale the mountain to say they were on top of the world. Many die, and many lose limbs to the freezing cold winds and conditions. Everest is unique and so are all the mountains in the Himalayans. The Himalayans are ironic in their natural wonder and beauty but if ventured into by an unknowing soul, can seem very deadly. The south pole has also drawn the allure of many an adventurer. Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach it in1911. The poles are an example of one of Earth's extreme places that fascinates the human imagination to explore them. Many places on earth are not as well known, yet are equally beautiful and inspire the human urge to explore. Places like The Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico and the lush dense trees of the southern Oregon tropical forests. The Earth is home to a whole slew of fascinating places and the more one travels the more one discovers them.

The world has many cultures

Cultures of the World's Societies

As I have come to realize, the cultures of the world are truly something to rejoice in. If all humans held the same series of beliefs and norms we would have a dull world. This year I have further increased my knowledge of the many peoples who inhabit this earth. I studied Somalia and learned of a people used to conflict but still keep their unique culture alive. this crosscoads of the world place lead to an example of how many cultures fuse into one beautiful mixture. The Somali have an African like climate and appearance, a middle eastern set of values/ religion, and even a mix of Indian and Southern Asia foods and spices. I have realized that each culture begs for my knowledge and intrigue.Through the course of the year, i have compared Scotland to India and how cultures are different but all boil down to one thing, the human element in the. Culture is a way of life for a group of people and instead of stereotyping one culture to every person in that society one can observe how a culture is fitted into one person's life. An example? Look at American and European regards to marriage. A couple must love one another and go through courtship, dating, etc... We accept this as a nor. In India or Afghanistan marriages are often arranged, not to say that this is wrong simply a way of life. American marriages have a high divorce rate but arranged marriages often do not. All in all, one can see that little cultural differences are what makes people and the world unique. Japan's concept of politeness and gentility is quite different than ours. To close one's eyes in Japan is to be thinking, not sleeping. Cultre is something to embrace and love, to explore and delve into. Culture is what makes us unique.