Fruits of Others

Many of our privileges we have today are ones we take for granted. Many of these have been around for less than our family trees go back and long battles were waged for them. Here are just a few of them:

1. Interracial marriage: Prior to 1967 it was illegal in some states as gay marriage is today. One couple changed every things in an eight year of the “Lovings vs. Virginia” that deemed anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional. Now it is commonplace to marry a person of a different race.

2. Discrimination: Prior to the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, 1965, and 1968 discrimination in the work place, grandfather laws in voting booths, and sales/ renting discrimination was allowed. Now we cannot be denied for these things on the basis of how we look. These acts were a direct result of hard work by activists such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

3. Environmental Laws: In 1970 the National Environmental Protection Agency Act was enacted. Without this there would be nothing to stop people from polluting the air, our water that we use, and dumping toxic waste where we live.

4. Food Safety: The USDA was formed in 1862 by Abe Lincoln, and today it puts standards on the food that we are eating every day.

5. Consumer safety: Before the 1972 Consumer Product Safety Ticket, it was not required for products to be tested, have warning labels, or be replaced if defective. John F. Kennedy was an activist in this era.

When Loeb says that “hearing others stories can expand our view of the world”, I believe he is referring to taking a different perspective. Although we sometimes feel our view is the best, you never know what knowledge can be attained by receiving another outlook on life. Hearing other‘s stories is also important because we can learn from their experiences. This owes homage to the phrase “the wise man learns from other‘s mistakes”. Make no notions that other people’s stories always mistakes, but by hearing them you are able to imagine what you would have done in that particular situation.
One story I might tell from my own life is the resolve I gained after my last match my junior year in which I broke my arm that required major surgery, to the successes I had my senior year in wrestling. That one story pretty much sums up all the values that describe me. Many people would have quit after having two plates and thirteen screws put into their body, but not me. I used that time to think about how well I would do the next year. When others see my scars I really want them to know that it is possible to turn a negative into a positive.
Throughout the years many stories have shaped my views of community involvement. Some of these include those of Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Rosa Parks. A common factor in all of these stories is that these people all had enough with the problems in their communities and decided to take steps towards changing them. Honestly I am not sure how I would write my political autobiography. I guess it would be centered around democratic points of view and changing how expensive healthcare is in the United States.