Getting past suffocating "tunnel vision"
Sandhya Acharya
What's Your Shade?
Recently a group of 15 students set out on a week-long experience. The focus was "Issues of Diversity in an Urban Setting." I was serving as the student coordinator for this group — a part of the Cultural Diversity Seminar and our intention was to expose students to different conditions and perspectives than those they were used to within Notre Dame and thus give them a better insight about the world around us.
Our journey brought us to Chicago, considered one of the most diverse cities in the nation. As the activities began, I was slightly nervous and uncertain as to how the participants would take it since this was the first time many of us were experiencing urban life from such close quarters. As the week progressed, however, my doubts were laid aside as I saw how enthusiastically everyone was participating in the plethora of activities planned. These included conversations with community activists, touring communities and feasting upon a variety of ethnic dishes. By the end of the seminar, I am sure, each one of us was able to gain a feel for urban life first hand and do away with any preconceived notions and prejudices. The lessons we learned are priceless and continue to help us in our day-to-day life.
It is perhaps not so common to observe students at Notre Dame reaching beyond the "bubble" and expanding their perspectives of the world and in particular other cultures. Even while being a part of numerous organizations and community opportunities and committing time and effort to it, they still suffer from what I call the "tunnel vision syndrome." Tunnel vision is a condition in which one perceives life through a myopic scope and fails to extend his or her vision beyond the immediate.
We are often surrounded in an environment that is not necessarily representative of society. This can prove detrimental for an individual's growth process if one does not attempt to question existing social norms. One can hear sentiments of ethnic and social intolerance even when walking on the quad or eating at the dining hall. History seems to be repeating itself as progress is occurring in materialistic matters but not in intellectual elevation.
As the nation is experiencing a state of uncertainty, it is time for every individual to make a difference. The first step is to step out of our natural comfort zones and educate ourselves about the world. Making an attempt to recognize and understand different ethnicities and cultures is necessary. If we do not open our minds to new ideas or changes, our society will stagnate and not progress in the right direction.
"What's Your Shade" is the Multicultural Students Programs and Services column. It appears every other Wednesday. Contact MSPS at sacharya@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this article represent those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, January 16, 2002
