What I've Learned So Far

Well, it's been an interesting journey so far. I have learned a lot, even though I usually have no idea how. That's how class is for me. I sit there and follow along with everything but never real feel like I'm learning. Then one day I'm with friends and I just spew knowledge and fact at them and we all sit back in shock. That's when I realize that I learned a lot from my past and present classes and it really makes me feel good. I'm sort of glad that I'm learning without knowing it. It feels less like work and more just like life. Which, isn't that what life is all about? Learning while you go along?

We have covered many topics in my Popular Culture class this semester and I have learned a lot, despite not really knowing it. But I recently had a discussion with my mother about violence in the world right now. I asked her what she thought of the world and how much violence she thought was in Iowa and our city alone. She watches a lot of Law and Order and murder investigation shows, so I wasn't surprised when she told me that she thought the outside world was really dangerous. That was when I remembered the topic we discussed in class about violence and "Mean World Syndrome". My mom TOTALLY has this. She's so paranoid and afraid that whenever I leave the house, even during the day time that I'm going to get hurt or killed or something. Even when I'm just going right up the street.

I told her about the things I learned in class. How media and television shows dramatize reality to sell a story or show. How crime has actually gone down in the last several years, yet gun purchases have gone up. I told her that people are actually much safer now for many reasons, and I was met with two reactions. She first started off by trying to say that I wasn't entirely right and that there was still violence outside of the walls of our house and then when I tried again to just ease her worries, she got angry and stopped listening.

This actually scared me a little. If my mother, whom I think is a fairly reasonable person (depending on the subject), won't listen to me when I give her facts done in studies, than who's to say that the majority of the world or even just the U.S. won't turn a blind eye to the facts after awhile. If it's not what they want to hear then it's not worth listening to. Now I could be wrong here, but it seems like my mother and perhaps a percentage of the world, want to be afraid. It feels like they want to think that it's dangerous out in the real world. And whether this is just used as an excuse to stay inside or if they really feel this way, it seems sad and rather lonely. 

I for one am rather happy that the world isn't as cruel and evil as I may have thought. I was raised to look for the good in people and if there is evidence supporting this, that's even better. However, that's not to say that I will be leaving my house without even thinking of protection or looking out for myself. But I will be leaving with an eased mind. If I can get rid of any form of stress on my person and my brain, then I'll take it right away.