I've been bothered lately with the concept of people being "better" or "worse" than others, especially within the school setting. We're constantly being compared, not only by our peers but by our test scores, grades, and other measurements. Is a person with a 35 on their ACT necessarily "smarter" than a person with a 22? We seem to think so. Is a person with more followers on Twitter more "popular" than a person with only a few? Some would argue that this is true as well.
It's so hard to evaluate people, situations, personalities, and intelligence objectively. We all judge and compare based on our previous experiences and knowledge, usually without even realizing it. Nobody can claim that they don't judge or compare people - no matter what we like to think, it happens instinctively. This is a big reason why I like the IB program so much. We are constantly forced to view situations differently, take objective approaches, and think outside the box. It's kind of a crazy thought, but is it possible that us IB students subconsciously learn to "judge" others less and see other possible point of views as we study other subject matters in this same way?
I wouldn't say that seeing other points of view makes us kinder - just because we see the other side doesn't mean we agree. I think it's that we respect the other view which makes it more open to include everyone. The only problem is that, just because we see the other side doesn't mean that that we will acknowledge it. Though it is hard to ignore the other side, especially when you sympathize with it, but it is possible.
ReplyDelete