If this is something I would like to happen and be part of then I would like to make people more tolerant and accepting of difference. We see this everyday in the news from bullying at school to racial issues. But I also see it in my work in terms of young people who experience ongoing pain (my research area) feeling different and not accepted by their friends and other people at school because they are different. That’s not the case of all at all but it is a big problem and I think if we can all become more tolerant and embrace out differences, the world would be a much happier and more peaceful place.
I think identity politics is unhealthy and causing a lot of social ills and injustice. A lot of concepts that we take for granted are actually very recent – for example, having a sexual identity (as straight, gay, etc.) only dates back to the 19th century. Before that people had a disposition / preference (like having favourite colour or type of food) but did not define themselves by it. Forming a concrete identity around a personal preference is not healthy.
I think we can all aim to action change within our own communities, we can be our own advocates. In terms of society I think one of the big issues is child and adolescent mental health, the impact of social media on this and how we teach young people the skills in becoming resilient young adults.
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