Reflections

During the semester, one lecture I found particularly interesting was that of Peter Motavalli, who educated us on the global food insecurity crisis. I found his lecture to be very emotionally and ethically appealing, and he supplemented his presentation with the perfect balance of moving photographs and informative charts and statistics. He presented the food insecurity crisis in such a way that seemed to frame it as an critical problem, but with a viable solution. His lecture lead me to reconsider my own consumption habits, as well as think about what actions the United States could take in order to address the problem of hunger in developing countries. His lecture tugged at our moral responsibility to provide for our brothers and sisters across the world, and ensure that their basic human rights were being met.

          (Image retrieved from http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2012/globalhunger.jpg)

I am just starting to gain a semblance of an understanding of the vastness of our world and its peoples and cultures. Studying the country of Iran throughout the semester has revealed to me just how different citizens of the world can be, due to a delicate balance of culture, religion, and geographic location. Iran remains an enigma that has yet to be solved by not only me, but the entire Western world. I have studied the fragile relationship that exists between Iran and the United States; I believe there is much work to be done and progress to be made in terms of peace and understanding. As Americans, I believe it is of critical importance for us to seek understanding and possess a willingness to learn about cultures that are different from our own. The average American's perception of Iran is shrouded in fear and misconceptions about Islam and their culture. It is imperative for both countries to close the gap in miscommunication and strive to work together as two world powers. If this doesn't occur, I foresee trouble on the horizon.