Perception

For the past couple of weeks I have been able to meet an incredible group of people here on Terceira and the other islands. One of the things that fascinates me about trips like this is that you are able to touch the lives of many people while at the same time come in contact with different ways of life, opinions, and ideologies. While this trip has reinforced some of my opinions, I have and will continue to learn more about how other people choose to live their lives.

My grandpa has always said that it is smart to listen to others and take what they have to say into account, but it is intelligence to use that knowledge to either reinforce your opinions or to reevaluate what you had previously thought. In reference to what Madeline said about the smoking here on the island, I cannot say I agree completely. I do not smoke, nor would I advocate smoking however I believe that we must really consider our perception on the individual life around us. One of my professors at UNC spoke of how perception is a lens of individuality. The culture in every corner of this world is its own and people choose to live their lives with the knowledge and environment they have grown up with. We cannot say that it is hypocritical to smoke whilst advocating for the safety of our world without acknowledging our cultural bias. Smoking is more commonplace but we cannot compare the individual decision to pollute our bodies with the tremendous lack of consideration for our future generations when we throw trash on the street. Yes, it might be funny for an environmentalist to pollute their body while trying to de-pollute our world, but there are many things that people in the U.S do that they would consider funny or even completely irrational.

But that in itself is the beauty of travel. We meet others, others that we would at home never dream of meeting and our bubbles of perception intersect.We all strive to better this world in our own way whether it be with medicine, politics, advocacy, or any way we see fit, but what is important is that despite any differences in ideologies or culture, we are all in hope for a better future.