Appalachia. An area that began a journey that would slowly unfold into what I consider my life. Last week was my last (forseable) trip to Appalachia. This trip has had many ups and downs this year but over all I have loved my stay in Williamsberg, KY.
This place has a lot of meaning in what I would consider my life today and many philosophies that I follow have roots here in this place. Passion for life, appreciation for simplicity, love for family and friends, kindness, hope, and faith are all thinks that I truly see in the people every day I am down here.
I wasn't really sure what I would find this year in my trip to KY, but many of the lessons I have learned were reemphasized coming down here. The best part about this trip though was the people and learning more about the history and reasons the people are suppressed. This helped me really realize how big the gap between rich and poor truly is and how cruel and thoughtless people and companies can be. It's truly a sad thought and extremely overwhelming when helping is all you want to do.
But how do we solve problems like inequality, social change, and lack of motivation? I don't know. The more I dig deeper into the worlds problems the more of a need I see for people to stand up and speak out. The funny part is, people already are! And it seems like little or no change occurs. As you can see this idea leads down a very dark and pessimistic view of humanity, one where I do not dare travel.
One thing that I have learned though in the last year is that the more educated you become about a topic the more you empower those around you to do something. To stand up, to fight against injustice, and make a difference in the world. To sit back and complain about the broken world that we live in does not help the problem. Rather if you believe in something or change needs to occur, quite complaining and do something about it!
I plan to, do you?
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