It is my dream to attend a college on the east coast of US, since I love the weather there. My goal is to attend MIT and major in computer science with a minor in business. I want to pursue a career in game development or cyber security in my future.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; a famous painting by George Seurat. The first time I came across this painting was in my Art I class during my sophomore year of high school. At first glance it seemed ordinary to me until my teacher pointed out that it was made entirely out of pointillism style; a technique of painting in which many colored dots are arranged in patterns to form an image. Upon zooming on my laptop, I felt fascinated as the painting dispersed into many little dots like pixels of an image. Though each dot seemed insignificant on its own, every single dot played a vital role toward the creation of the beautiful painting. That is exactly what it means to “think globally and act locally". This simple yet effective concept can be applied to many scenarios, whether that be environmental, societal, or even economical.
Here is the most pressing example: global warming. January 2023 was the seventh-warmest January in the 174-year NOAA record. According to NCEI's Global Annual Temperature Outlook, it is virtually certain (> 99.0%) that the year 2023 will rank among the 10-warmest years on record. It is occurring right this moment and could potentially be the end of this very planet we call our “home”. One cannot help but feel helpless as to how to save a burning world; it seems like quite a daunting mission. I always tell myself to take a step back and breath when I think “there’s nothing I can do to help”. It may seem difficult, or even impossible, to create a picture-perfect painting but it is possible to create a single dot. Yes, that is all it takes. While each one of us might not be able to tackle global warming alone, we can all take local actions such as saving energy at home, using public transport, recycling materials etc. to foster a global change; and our dots together can create a beautiful painting.
It is also better to think globally and be familiar with the diverse cultures found in the world while acting locally to maintain one’s own culture. No two dots in George Seurat’s painting are identical, they all vary from each other to some extent, whether that be in size, shape, color, or texture. However, their unique properties come together to create a painting and allow the painting to be colorful and comprehensible; if all dots were uniform, the canvas would be a monotonous representation of scattered dots. Cultures come together and bring vitality to our world; it is important to have an open mindset and appreciate the unique aspects of all cultures so a sense of global inclusivity can be fostered. Today’s technology has made it easier to be connected globally whether that be through diplomats holding zoom calls, finding online friends through video games, or learning about foreign cultures through social media. On the other hand, it is just as important to maintain unique cultures locally and not lose them to pop culture. In such a technologically advanced world that keeps us interconnected globally, local cultures can fall victim to assimilation. It is up to us to take local action to preserve our unique cultures and their traditions so that every dot on the canvas can be unique and contribute to the bigger painting.
Though we may not all be artists able to create a grand break through art piece on our own, we are all capable of making a dot, and that is all it takes. If everyone can draw a single dot on this canvas, our earth, we can create a beautiful painting for the present and the future generations. This concept encourages us to consider that our local actions have consequences beyond our immediate surroundings. Together our small actions at the grassroots level are the driving force behind a bigger global change. “Thinking globally and acting locally” prevents us from setting idealistic goals and expectations and teaches us to be realistic and take practical actions at the local scale; many local actions combine to foster global change. Not only is this concept beneficial, it is also vital since thinking globally stops one from living in ignorance and isolation, while acting locally allows one to contribute to the greater goal and fosters a sense of efficacy.