Boxes. Lots of them; way too many of them. I spent my weekend moving which meant lots of packing, unpacking, moving and lifting of heavy boxes. All of this got me thinking of the hyperbole boxes we put people into. We all do it, but why? Is it something that society tells us to do? Really think about the boxes that we put others into, that others put US into. How often are they really correct? We see someone and we make a judgement about who they are or what they stand for & how they behave. How often do we take time to unpack those boxes and really see what's inside? What's there could surprise us; some real treasures!
I've moved six times in the seven years I've lived in Raleigh. Often times just moving boxes from one apartment to the other without ever bothering to unpack them. I finally did that this weekend and what I did find were some real treasures & things I had forgotten about. As silly as this whole little anaology of boxes seems to be, it really did get me thinking of how we put people into boxes unjustly based upon their appaearance and never get to learn or bother to try to see what's inside. I learned the lesson to dig deeper and get beyond the outter shell through many interactions throughout my career and classes. With each new person I've
taken the time to get to know better, I've grown as a person and my assumptions have changed. My overall mindset has changed to the point that I make a concious effort to try not to put people into these boxes and to just get to know who they are.
Just think about how heavy a "box" may be to bear for some people. Some boxes are light; others may be quite burdensome. I think I've learned to see and consider a different perspective after discussions and readings in this class and a Cross-Cultural class I took over the summer. We've discussed oppression and priveldege, and cultural identity. Something I discovered is that as a caucasion, I don't have to deal with my race as often as someone from another race may have to. My professor this summer said something that, at first, astounded me: "Everyday I wake up and I know that I'm black and I leave my house wondering how people will treat me because of it....." We had many indepth conversations about appearance and judgement and race and judgement. Sadly, it's true....but even in this day and age, people may still treat you differently because of your race. I hate that. I hate hate. I knew prejudice and racial discrimination still existed but I think I was naive to know the extent to which it does still exist because it's not something I have to personally deal with on a daily basis. I've made it my personal goal to eliminate "boxes" from my mind and interactions and a personal challenge to encourage those around me to do the same. As I mentioned in class, my family is my current project......they're making progress but have a long way to go. I challenge you to also "unpack" more boxes and encourage those around you to do the same. What you find could really impress you.
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