Attending the EPIIC Symposium this weekend brought many relevant issues to the forefront, and every Tufts student should open his/her mind to thinking about them. EPIIC fosters productive discussion and brings contrasting opinions together to help all parties more accurately understand one another.
On Saturday, the panel on the changing roles and responsibilities of multinational corporations featured high-profile CEOs from Citigroup and Dow Chemical, one of whom came under fire for events that occurred prior to his tenure. Unfortunately, some audience members asked caustic, angry, and sarcastic questions. This type of behavior is counter-productive to fully understanding other points of view.
Although corporate executives are often self-promoting, they don't deserve attacks about incidents that occurred before their time. We must all understand that spiteful statements only further deepen and breed more conflict.
On another level, we can interpret anger as the desire for acknowledgement, understanding and assistance. Most people come to the discussion/negotiating table with set beliefs and opinions that are unlikely to change in one sitting.
Knowing this, tolerance and curiosity are the qualities that will prevail in comprehending the motivations of others and will ultimately lead to progress.
We see events throughout history, like state-building, that convey the importance of an open-minded approach. In Great Britain, opposing groups chose compromise over hostility to resolve critical ideological and life struggles. Great Britain has remained one of the most stable countries historically (it hasn't had a revolution since 1689) because powerful political actors were counterbalanced through negotiation, contestation and participation.
The monarchy originally agreed to create Parliament as literally a "talking place" to negotiate tax collection terms with rich landowners. The landowners and citizens eventually realized that they deserved more rights and a voice in how the government ruled their lives. Parliament provided a negotiating table and, by promoting compromise, worked to prevent an oppressive aristocratic regime from arising. The recognition and awareness of others' needs is a universal conception.
In the United States, understanding others is critically important as well. While Great Britain is a nation of emigrants, the United States is a nation of immigrants founded on the notion of liberty and opportunity, which has produced diversity. This diversity fosters both progress and tension, which will inherently lead to conflict. But it is conflict that keeps our lives interesting.
So the lesson to be learned from the EPIIC discussion on global governance is that competing interests will always exist throughout the world, and being open and willing to understanding all sides will bring about resolution. This continual cycle of tension and resolution drives people throughout their lives.
As a senior, my eyes are just becoming aware of these universal notions. I challenge everyone to really try to understand the world around them. Why do people act the way they do? What has caused people to suffer and drives their desires?
There are invaluable opportunities that lie within the Tufts community, and the scope is immeasurable. Sure, tuition is high, but that is all the more reason to take advantage of the breadth of opinions and the depth of knowledge at our fingertips.
I wish now that I had fully realized this opportunity three and a half years ago. I love the freedom available to take classes in a variety of subjects, ranging from comparative politics to computer science to bodyworks.
My advice to students is to take advantage of these opportunities: try courses in as many different disciplines as possible, study abroad, attend speaker events, panels, and symposiums, and sit in on meetings at different clubs.
Most importantly, get to know your peers as a diverse blend of people with unique perspectives on the world. Never forget to remain curious and tolerant of all sides, especially those that you don't understand. The lessons from EPIIC are lessons for life. Once we realize this, only then will we be able to make informed decisions and tackle life head-on.
Matthew Fiorello is a senior majoring in economics.
