Editorial: valuing the diversity of ideas

posted in: Opinion | 0
When someone thinks of diversity, the concepts that come to mind may be race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. But a big topic surrounding diversity that is prevalent on college campuses is the diversity of different perspectives. 
Every college and university has varying beliefs like Democrats and 
Republicans, environmentalists and developers, occupiers and capitalists, herbivores and omnivores and fans of Fox News or CNN. Universities should challenge our beliefs and make their students think critically about issues that matter to them, even if it goes against their initial thoughts. Having a campus of diverse ideas allows students to understand multiple perspectives, gaining a well-rounded understanding of varying views while being accepting and maintaining open-communication. If students were to accept all ideas as equal to one another, there would not be progress.
It is important to generate new ideas and beliefs so people do not stagnate as individuals or as a species. It is okay to be confident in a personal stance, but being open to new information allows for a more communicative campus. So many people are afraid of being different and standing up for what they believe in, that they defend positions that do not align with what they truly agree with. We have to work together as a community to protect the rights of others to be different and we should continually seek out people with different beliefs. Empathy and compassion are the basis of a harmonious society. Imagine if politicians could come together to get something done rather than demonize each other to harness the most power? It is human nature to write off any idea that differs from someone’s own personal belief. This type of judgment and thinking is exactly what gets Pacific University, other universities and the country as a whole, in trouble. If we can change our way of thinking and allow individuals with new and different ideas a chance to speak, we may become a more productive community as a whole. 
Pacific has been seen through faculty and students to be very liberal. While it 
is a liberal arts university, the school has shown evidence in what side they support politically. Conservative faculty and students are present on campus, but they are not shown as much because some are afraid to speak out and explain or defend their beliefs because other beliefs can be overpowering. They cannot express their own views and feel if they do, they will be shut down for speaking out on what they believe. Conservative faculty and students are present on campus, but they are not shown as much because some are afraid to speak out and explain or defend their beliefs because others’ beliefs can be overpowering. They cannot express their own views and feel if they do, they will be shut down for speaking out on what they believe. Although Pacific is not allowed to pander to a specific political bias, many students have voiced their frustration for the ideological partisanship that has been expressed on campus.

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