This I Believe: The Power of Understanding Other Viewpoints

August 28, 2008

When I was in the sixth grade I saw the musical "Rent" on Broadway. Afterwards I listened to the soundtrack non-stop for months, memorizing every lyric. For me, the message at the closing of the first act is what really stuck. The scene shows a group of 1990s "Bohemians," including a lesbian lawyer, a nightclub dancer, and a drag queen, raising their glasses to everything outrageous, scandalous, and, well, different. Unhappily observing are four conservative rich businessmen. I feel that in general our society lacks the ability to understand other viewpoints and stray from traditional values in the modern world.