Diversity, justice, and sustainability are all intrinsically connected within our lives. In a sort of linear manner, these values all depend on one another in order to come to fruition. In the journal Endgame, Volume 1: The Problem of Civilization, Derrick Jensen sums up the concept of sustainability and justice quite nicely in relation to revolutionizing civilization. He states that “we cannot hope to create a sustainable culture with any but sustainable souls” (Jensen 190). This can be interpreted to mean that without accepting diversity in a justified and conscientious manner, true sustainability can never be reached. Within the confines of this definition, there are many variables: diversity, justice, and sustainability could encompass
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This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Moldova for six weeks and study the Russian language in a fully immersive setting. Moldova is currently the poorest country in Europe, and is extremely politically unstable as diplomatic tensions with Russia continue to escalate disfavorably. Consequently, there are many issues regarding diversity, justice, and sustainability. One blatant example of this can be examined with the discriminatory treatment of those with physical or mental disabilities. It is a common practice in Moldova to disown physically disabled family members because the citizens are too poor, unwilling, or ashamed to care for them. This leaves the impaired to a life begging on the streets, without access to basic health care and treatment. I can remember feeling shocked when I would regularly pass beggars in the park who often bore blackened legs and shriveled limbs; encumbered with diseases and ailments that could easily be treated in the United States. Passers-by would often turn away in disgust, and in what I believe were attempts to pretend these groups did not …show more content…
These values are often melded together in a way that shows how applicable they are in life. In her speech at the University of Colorado, Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish explains how to fuse diversity, social justice, and sustainability into a successful platform for positive change. She states that “if you want to be a leader in the twenty-first century, you need to understand sustainability, and if you’re going to be a leader in sustainability, you must understand social justice” (Gabrieloff-Parish 2014). I believe that Pacific Lutheran University understands this concept, and encourages the pursuit of these traits in an academic
This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Moldova for six weeks and study the Russian language in a fully immersive setting. Moldova is currently the poorest country in Europe, and is extremely politically unstable as diplomatic tensions with Russia continue to escalate disfavorably. Consequently, there are many issues regarding diversity, justice, and sustainability. One blatant example of this can be examined with the discriminatory treatment of those with physical or mental disabilities. It is a common practice in Moldova to disown physically disabled family members because the citizens are too poor, unwilling, or ashamed to care for them. This leaves the impaired to a life begging on the streets, without access to basic health care and treatment. I can remember feeling shocked when I would regularly pass beggars in the park who often bore blackened legs and shriveled limbs; encumbered with diseases and ailments that could easily be treated in the United States. Passers-by would often turn away in disgust, and in what I believe were attempts to pretend these groups did not …show more content…
These values are often melded together in a way that shows how applicable they are in life. In her speech at the University of Colorado, Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish explains how to fuse diversity, social justice, and sustainability into a successful platform for positive change. She states that “if you want to be a leader in the twenty-first century, you need to understand sustainability, and if you’re going to be a leader in sustainability, you must understand social justice” (Gabrieloff-Parish 2014). I believe that Pacific Lutheran University understands this concept, and encourages the pursuit of these traits in an academic