I was a little apprehensive to look at the Be More sight. I figured it would be just another website telling youth how we can be racist, how race inhibits life in America and things of the such. Surprisingly, it was not that at all. It left me asking myself the question, what am I? How can I better apply true definitions to words I never really understood but rather filled in automatically on tests? The definitions that Be More gives should be taught to younger children so they don’t get to the age of 18 not really understanding what the words race, ethnicity, and nationality really mean. According to the website, race is, “A social construct and it has no genetic or biological basis,” “Ethnicity refers to a group of people that share geographic ancestry, historical experiences, a set of customs, traditions, rituals, ideology, origin stories, spiritual beliefs, languages, and/or other social practices,” “Nationality refers to a group of people that belong to a nation-state based on their citizenship,” and “Culture is a set of traditions, beliefs, practices, rituals, and/or activities (such as dance, art, literature, music) formed by the shared experiences of a common group. Culture shifts with time and social conditions.” Finally, some clarity.

While clicking on different tabs and watching the videos I was really able to relate to some of the content. One of my favorite tabs was the one where Mohandas Gandhi’s quote was written across the top, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” First of all, Gandhi is a person in history who I enjoy studying about. He is a leader which we people today and in the future can learn from his actions and teachings. At the end of the day, race, ethnicity, and religion are not important but rather the most important thing is being a kind, generous and respectful person. The one thing I look for in people is respect because everything else stems from that.

We teach kids to not judge a book by its cover but on a daily basis we do. There is an impulse to associate the color od someone’s skin with who they are. There is an impulse to answer the questions: What are you? Who are you? On another one of the tabs, the young 12-year-old, Venezuelan girl said she brought food to school and all the other kids made fun of her because it smelled. I will never forget in the third grade when my parents went on vacation and my grandparents were watching me and my grandma packed me a Russian kind of food which was smelly and this girl made me feel so embarrassed about it that I didn’t eat it and I threw it out not to offend my grandma. Young children are the meanest and in our fight against bullying, we should include the fight for acceptance. MTV’s “Look different” commercial is a brilliant, modern way of subconsciously planting the seed of tolerance.

The “new vision” for 2040 is kind of an ironic title because although it’s the vision for the future, we’re trying to eliminate the sense of sight and vision in people’s every day lives in interactions and decisions.