Important Issues

Throughout this year in World Issues, we have discussed numerous important issues. And each one of those issues can relate to a current issue either in our lives, our academics, in our nation or currently happening on the world stage. 

The 3 most important issues that I have learned about during this course are as follows:

1.  Arab-Israeli Conflict. This conflict has been transpiring for decades and is still occurring today.  This conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis is extremely significant and pressing due to the violent nature of the conflict.  There are many interpretations and opinions of the Arab-Israeli Conflict over rightful land ownership; whether or not the Israelis have the rightful ownership to the land versus the Arabs.  Both claims to land are in their religious testaments which causes an increase in the tension and conflict.  This was a very important issue to learn in World Issues, and the significance was shown through the extensive amount of time and work we spent on this issue.  As a class, we went into extensive detail regarding this issue and this was extremely beneficial because we discover and attempt to understand the root of the problem and the cause of this conflict.  Also, we discussed and discovered the ongoing political tensions, and this was also important because we can relate it to what is currently transpiring overseas and attempted peace negotiations between the two sides.  Hopefully in the next few years we will see peace between the Arabs and the Israelis, however until then, discussion in classes such as world issues is extremely important.

2.  Poverty.  After numerous discussions about world issues and current events, I have noticed a trend and a pattern to a majority of world issues, and this was especially seen during our ISU presentations.  The root and primary cause to many issues is Poverty.  Issues such as gender inequality, HIV/Aids, child slavery and trafficking, and lack of education are issues that are extremely significant and must be eradicated in order to improve our world as a whole.  However, the primary source must be targeted, and for a majority of those problems, poverty is the main issue.  I found discussion of poverty extremely important.  Also, because I have witnessed poverty first hand in Kenya, it is a topic that I hold very dear to my heart and I would like to see change and improvements in our world.

3.  Education.  Yes our class laughs and jokes when we bring up education because it stems back to every single issue, however, it is extremely important.  Here in Canada we are extremely fortunate to have the luxury and opportunity to attend school ever day and despite this privilege, many people complain about it.  However, in countless countries across the world, education is not an option for millions of people due to health conditions, family chores, or even lack of educational facilities and teachers.  Each day, children in Africa and various other countries and continents are excited and blessed with the gift to go to school.  It is deemed a blessing to be able to go to school in under developed and developing nations.  Without education and the knowledge we have, our world would be at a loss.  Wars would not be stopped, and international crises such as poverty, hunger, and health pandemics could not be solved or prevented.  Education is the most important thing available to us in the world, in my opinion, and I feel that it should be given to every single child and person in the world!  Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to an education."  No matter the struggles or the challenges, countries and organizations should make it possible for every child to receive an education.  Yes the numbers are increasing, however, they are not there yet.  Raising awareness about education and the need and necessity for it, is extremely important and that is why it was in my top three important issues for World Issues this year.