Over the last several years, I have spent a lot of time with people from all over the world. I have met people from countries I previously knew very little about. Listening to their stories and understanding their unique perspectives on the world has led me to learn plenty about myself and the world we live in.
Initially, upon meeting people with vastly different backgrounds, I would often think that we have very little in common to discuss. These initial thoughts, however, are always proved wrong. This past summer, as an example, I spent two weeks traveling with high schoolers from dominantly southern states. Although everyone on this particular trip was from the United States, our respective cultures could not have clashed more. As a Jewish New Yorker, meeting people from the Carolinas and Alabama was exciting. While I was the first Jewish person many of them had ever met, my Southern peers were the first ardent Trump supporters and gun-owners I had ever met. At the outset, we both had our pre-existing views on each other’s backgrounds. Not only did we soon find common ground but we now have a greater appreciation of each other and our respective political and social outlooks. We text and talk to each other constantly, discussing world views through a different lens than before we first met.
Learning about the cultures and customs of my peers around the world has allowed me to expand my worldview. I now spend hours reading about other countries and talking to my international friends who live in countries such as Israel, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, Egypt, India and many others about their lives as well as geopolitical issues, broadening my perspective far outside of my bubble.
I genuinely believe our generation needs to be more aware of the world and open to other points of view. We cannot simply rely on the current status quo to solve our world problems because it is not working. Moreover, we are unable to address these global issues effectively without having a better appreciation of other perspectives and knowing what it’s like to step into someone else's shoes.
The objective of this paper is to offer a platform for people around the world to experience a similar revelation I experienced over the last few years. Accomplishing this goal would mean everyone would learn something new about the world that cannot be told through images or documentaries.
I arrived at the name ‘Street View News’ because every writer provides a ‘street view’ perspective on the world: unique and detailed.
Welcome to Street View News. New articles will be published every few weeks; until then, explore the many articles already on the website. I hope you enjoy reading these unique global perspectives, and please feel free to share your stories with others as well.
