I am the middle child. For a short period of time prior to the birth of my younger sister I was the youngest. But for the vast majority of my life, and thus the times I remember most, I have had the unique opportunity to simultaneously hold the titles of younger sister and older sister.
Because of this, I have been given the gift of perspective. I know what it’s like to be the younger sister who feels like her older sibling has the chance to do everything I want to do lightyears before I am allowed to; I also know what it feels like to be the older sibling who thinks she’s earned the right to do things that her younger sister simply isn’t old enough for. This is important not only in navigating the sometimes difficult dynamics of being one of three sisters, but also in considering how I treat others in my daily life.
Growing up, I was comfortable. I lived, and still live, a very fortunate life. I’ve been blessed to grow up with a loving family, amazing friends, and in a comfortable living environment. I was provided a quality education that prepared me to pursue post-graduate education, and have had many mentors and role models who have helped me along the way. This isn’t to say that my life has had no “bumps in the road” or difficult times. There have been plenty of those. But I’ve always had a support system and a safe environment to turn to, which I know is not the case for many. This kind of life is not uncommon among the other kids I grew up and attended school with. For the most part, many of us were blessed with and incredibly appreciative of the life that we had.
Coming to college, I was exposed to people who did not grow up the way I did. I met people who didn’t study a day in their life and knew since the day they were born college was a given; I met people who worked a part time job while balancing high school, and still were unsure if they’d be able to pay tuition to return to Penn State the following semester. I knew everyone had a different story, but I failed to consider how that changed the way they looked at the world. Some people were jaded and cynical, others were optimistic and appreciative of everything they had. At the end of the day, I quickly realized that the one thing we all have in common is that we all perceive things slightly differently from each other.
So why is this important? Because I believe everyone should make an effort to seek new perspectives. We must put ourselves in environments in which we are surrounded by many ways of thinking and living, and do our very best to try to see the world in a different light. This can be uncomfortable, and it can be difficult. Sometimes, you can’t understand someone’s perspective simply because you will never know what it is like to live it yourself. But the important thing is that you try. I believe in not just being open to new perspectives, but in seeking them. You never know what you will learn, how you can broaden the perspective of another, or how your life can be changed.