The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Viewpoints

Seth Duncan

The world is upside down. Or at least it appears that way as I hang my head upside down over my couch and watch the local and national news. This was once a favorite pastime of mine when I was a kid. In those days, the world seemed so simple. Cartoons were semi-violent; the news was something I didn't watch and most television shows had a simple, lighthearted message at the end of each episode.

Today, the world seems more complicated, but is it? Has the world changed, or have I? On the surface most would shout "You, duh!" But upon closer look, I think we have both changed.

Since my youthful days skipping across the country with my folks, I have become more aware of the world around me. As kids, most of us couldn't care less about who was president, what was going on in China, the Middle East or Russia and other "adult stuff" like that. But as I grew older, I would eventually come to realize that the world is much more complicated than yes or no, right or wrong and good or evil. I now understand that there are few truths in the world and many shades of gray.

Ultimately, I have changed and, in many respects, become more aware of the world which surrounds us all. Knowing that I have changed, has the world changed? Is the world more complicated?

In many respects the world is more complicated. In the last 15 years, a great empire fell, the Internet was born, China prospered and terrorism became a global product. Many of today's hardships and success stories stem from complications and conflicts of this new world. Some of these complications arise out of new technology, openness and faster dissemination of information. But for all these new challenges and complications, I believe the fundamental lining of the world has not changed.

Across the world life is the same. The same as it has been for generation after generation. Life is simple, we hope, we dream and we die.

I know some of you may think this is rather simplistic (and it is to some extent), but it is the few sure things in life. No matter your status, your wealth, where you start from or where you live, the world is common in that we all hope, dream and die. The degree to which we dream, hope and when we die depends on numerous factors, some controllable, but many beyond our grasp. Regardless, the world as I see it is much the same as it always has been.

The world may be more complicated on one hand, but on the other, the world remains simple; we still dream, we still hope and death still awaits us all.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools