Global Citizenship
Who
am I? How do the choices I make reflect my cultural values? How do I identify
with other people around the world? As an individual in this capitalist society
I am connected to millions of people around the world. By putting aside all of
our differences we are able to notice core similarities between every person.
By being a productive and engaged global citizen I am able to create a
universal web that connects me to people all around the world. With the
influence of music we are able to intermix in order to identify and understand
different people, cultures, and practices.
Music
has a powerful ability to influence, describe, and shape ideas politically,
socially, and personally. Musical practice influences society largely in the
way that it can emulate what type of society we live in. Here, in America our
fundamentals are based on a very capitalist society. We produce so many
products in order to sell. Consumerism is massive and our whole structure
relies on supply and demand. This type of mindset reflects the most popular
form of music that we are accustomed to in America-high-fidelity. Characteristics
of high-fidelity music surround itself on one major idea: to sell a product. It
takes a very capitalist approach as to how we listen to music. This form of
music reflects our societies value immensely. In America we don’t focus on the
effort, time, and quality of our product, but instead we consume so much we
just care about the numbers. Another way of describing our most common form of
musical preference is presentational. We are so used to paying an artist in
order to hear only them perform. This sets up a hierarchy and also allows for a
very restricted form of social bonding.
We
can learn a lot about a society based on their music just like people around
the world can learn a lot about us through our musical preference. For example
just through playing mbira and knowing the context behind music rituals in Zimbabwe
we are able to understand how different people live their lives. A participatory
musical preference allows people that practice it to live as egalitarians.
Wouldn’t if be so comforting and different if people in the United States
adopted this form of thinking? No hierarchy, no competition, and a main focus
on social bonding sounds so comforting. This type of environment would not only
be beneficial towards change but it specifically targets the formation of
relationships. The best way to learn about another culture is to actually go to
that country and immerse yourself in their entire culture. Listening to their
specific type of music can tell you so much about how a culture thinks and
acts.
By
being aware of what you do and how it affects the world around you, you are
able to begin the process of being a productive global citizen. Sometimes it is
extremely difficult to relate to other people especially if you haven’t
experienced a certain feeling that they have, but regardless of experience we
are all able to relate to someone somehow. Also another difficult idea is
understanding exactly who you are and your identity. Identity is never stagnant
and is always shifting especially at the adolescent stage. If you are able to
know who you are and what you value, understand your relationship with the rest
of the world and how it impacts people, and then understanding the consequences
of your impact is what a global citizen is. You must be open to difference and
change. The adoption of a participatory framework would be the first step
towards active global citizenship. One important idea towards becoming a better
global citizen is being inquisitive of the world around us rather than being
dismissive. I believe that by starting a change in your own personal life and
growing off of that change will prove to be beneficial.
The
idea of being inquisitive rather than being dismissive can be related to my
life quite easily. Starting freshman year in college I really hope that my high
school years have helped me adopt this way of thinking. Everyone always told me
before I left Pittsburgh that the most important thing to do is keep an open
mind. This idea empowers you to be a better global citizen, and with all of the
ingrained stereotypes that we have become accustomed to it is hard to change
how you think. By adopting a participatory framework we are able to observe and
learn about other formations worldwide. This is essential towards being a
global citizen because the minute we start learning about the world and
different cultures the more we humanize people.
As
I mentioned before being able to identify with other people and cultures is
just one step towards being a better global citizen. Realizing the consequences
and the impact of our choices on other people is essential. Just thinking in
terms of yourself can be detrimental towards your progress of becoming a
stronger global citizen. Every action you make whether it is buying a product
like Nike shoes or even milk from a local farmer has an effect on that certain
worker. When our mindsets shift from just how our choices affect ourselves to
how our choices affect the people in our world then we can become more
accepting as a community. We don’t notice how much our decisions, thoughts, and
choices impact the rest of our world. When we start noticing this and when we
start thinking in regards to consequences then when we will be able to progress
as engaged global citizens.
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