When I first went to Washington D.C. for the beginning of my three-part program in cooperation with The Washington Center it was mid-January and the Democratic Primary elections were a little under a month away. At the time of my arrival I had never heard of Howard Dean, John Kerry, or John Edwards. Being the youngest student in the program I was nothing more than a naïve freshman who was thrown into the same cage as the political gurus. By the end of the program I had developed a desired motivation in not just politics, but in the excitement of taking blind leaps outside my comfort zone into places of uncertainties, where my potential saw no bounds and my possibilities were endless. Those two weeks in D.C. sparked the beginning of an amazing roller coaster ride that took me all around the world and back home in time for the New Years.

A friend of mine once said, “every American needs to do two things before they die: go to a University of Tennessee football game and go to Washington D.C.” Although I can not say that both of those recommendations hold value, after visiting D.C. I will gladly stand by the latter suggestion. Being a history major I was usually seen walking around the streets of D.C. with a dropped jaw and bug eyed. To be able to say that I have seen such historical sights as the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, the Capitol Building, the White House, the Mall, and the Smithsonian is something that I cherish greatly. By visiting D.C., I have set foot on land that many people my age have died to protect, and also the place where the decisions were made to send those kids to their premature death. As I have mentioned before, this city had a profound impact on my view of life and my thirst for knowledge. It also sparked up my interest in politics, but it would not be until further experiences that I would be able to get a full grasp of the political world that had caught my attention.

These experiences began in Boston, Massachusetts for the Democratic National Convention. There were many reasons why I was eager to be in Boston during the convention; such as: it was a historical event, I had met friends from D.C. that I would be seeing again, I had never been to Boston before, and the Red Sox were playing the Yankees. The number one reason for my eagerness, however, was the excitement of becoming further accustomed to the ins and outs of the political process. Never before had I lived in a place where the majority of the people were liberal, much less 85% liberal like in Boston! Still in search for my own party affiliation, I had anticipated talking to people who did not get their information solely from Fox News, who were Christians, and most importantly, were Democrats! Coming from east Tennessee and southern Virginia to Boston I also looked forward to hearing opposition to republican standpoints in an in-depth and rational way, because in the areas I have lived in, opposition is extremely rare! Unfortunately, the political lesson I learned in Boston was more of a disheartening disturbance than a motivational lift.

Although Boston was an amazing city and overall I had a fabulous time, I left unsatisfied and discouraged as the Convention only weakened my hopes towards finding a political party that fit my way of thinking. I had hoped to hear inspiring liberal statements such as those given by John F. Kennedy and other idealistic leaders, but instead all I encountered was constant bashing and cynical remarks directed towards conservatives. The Democratic Party strives itself on being the more tolerant and the more open-minded of the two parties and this being the case, I found it extremely ironic that every liberal person I spoke with was against the War in Iraq, pro-choice, and a strong anti-Bush supporter. It was so bad that many of them even wore pins on their shirts that read “Anybody But Bush.” Of everything I experienced, I found this reality the hardest to take in. I so badly wanted to meet a Democrat who favored the war, not because of any personal belief of my own, but because I wanted to assure myself that such people existed! Unfortunately I was unable to find such people, and I left Boston with questions lingering over my head of what happened to the idealistic hope that the Democratic Party once offered so many people? And why was it so difficult to find someone who understood that they should be affiliated with a party based on their beliefs, and not base their beliefs according to their party? In my opinion, the Democratic Party began to lose its appeal once it began to enforce its “anti-dogma” dogma that forced all liberals to join together on certain issues such as the War in Iraq and abortion-- issues that are split within the Republican Party.

Once I left the Democratic National Convention at the end of July I had exactly one month until I was scheduled to depart the U.S. for London, England. I was fortunately chosen alongside roughly 80 other Americans to study in this amazing city for the fall semester. Prior to arriving in London I had already braced myself for the anti-American sentiment that most of Europe has at the moment. However, I was astonished at just how harsh some people’s attitudes were towards Americans, so bad that a few of my friends were forced to leave a pub one night once they were identified as Americans! Although this type of behavior was seldom, I was often times greeted with an unfriendly face or a quick murmuring underneath one’s breath, but rarely did it go further than that.

Although this behavior was rare, on one occasion one of my friends, who was also part of the 80 American students, received great hostility while trying to speak about the importance of riding bikes over cars in big cities! To elaborate a bit further, every Sunday in Hyde Park it is common for a few hundred Londoners to make their way to an area commonly known as Speaker’s Corner. Speaker’s Corner is designated to anybody who wants to speak on an issue that they feel passionate about. The most frequent topics are related to religion and politics, but every once in awhile someone will spice it up a bit with a little diversity. On this Sunday my friend had intended to do just that, but as he stood on his stump beginning to preach about the importance of bike riding it soon became clear to everybody that he was an American. Within minutes the entire crowd had made their way over to his stump and began questioning him on topics such as the war in Iraq, Abu-Ghraib, the religious right, and the upcoming election. Keep in mind that his sole purpose of going there was to talk about the importance of riding bikes! This is but a mere example of the attitude shared by most Europeans towards Americans. Before the election it was impossible to say hello to a Londoner without him beginning to spout out questions concerning American politics. This soon became very annoying.

Spending a semester over in Europe and interacting with Europeans, I feel the need to give my own input as to why this animosity has intensified throughout Europe. What happened to the Europe that sympathetically played our national anthem and grieved with us on Sept 11th? The war in Iraq happened. Sure most Europeans despise Bush’s slight little quirk of a smile, his straight forward rhetoric, and his outspoken religious values that inspire most of his beliefs, but it all comes down to the War in Iraq. The War in Iraq has given Europe a reason to isolate itself from our policies, and rightly so I believe, since half of the American population fails to see any true benefit for invading Iraq, how should we expect countries that really don’t receive any benefits to react? It also must be pointed out that the hatred I received over in Europe is equal to the mindset of most Americans; hence the emergence of freedom fries over French fries, etc. So even though I may not agree with some of the more extremist approaches that Europeans have (one newspaper in London actually tried to give Londoners an input on the presidential election by mailing their letters to a small city in Ohio) I can totally understand why they disagree with our policies regarding the War in Iraq, and just like it is unfair for Europeans to despise every American they see it is also unfair for pro-Bush supporters to despise every Frenchman they see, but its done because as long as someone is on foreign soil they represent the country they come from.

After the presidential election, which I watched at The Hard Rock Café, the anti-American sentiment died down a little and more Europeans became more confused than anything. The headlines in a French newspaper read something like “How can millions of people be so wrong?” Watching the election was pretty entertaining, even though I was not able to find out who won Florida or Ohio until 7 AM it was very interesting to watch the different people’s reaction in the Hard Rock Café. Surprisingly the majority of people there were Americans and as far as my observations went I never really faced any harsh questions or anything from Londoners after the election. It seemed as if most Londoners were just tired of worrying about American politics, or perhaps they came to the conclusion that they were wasting their time trying to debate politics with Americans! Either way, for my last month over there I hardly ever had to face the type of scrutiny that I did prior to the Presidential Election.

Once I returned from London I had exactly one month until the Presidential Inauguration, which would complete my final program on behalf of The Washington Center. I was extremely excited to finish my year long journey inside the political process, especially after watching the debates and keeping track of the election process in another continent. Leading up to the Inauguration I had to attend a similarly structured program as a year ago in which the first portion was based on media and its role in politics, and the second week was set aside for President Bush’s 2nd term agenda, most importantly Social Security. I was able to hear such speakers as Sam Donaldson, Ted Koppel, Ann Compton, and Sen. Chuck Hagel give their input towards Bush’s re-election and his goals for the remaining four years. It was amazing to hear such powerful people speak in a room of no more than 300 people. I was most impressed with Sen. Chuck Hagel, not for any particular reason other than that I have little interest in the media and there is a very strong chance that Hagel will run for President in 2008. Perhaps the most intriguing part of listening to these men and women speak was how they presented themselves. It was obvious once they entered the room that everybody’s eyes were on them, and the way they handled themselves was nothing less than astonishing. The confidence they had and the comfort at which they spoke to 300 college students blew me away, and it was those small things that I will truly miss about The Washington Center experience. Knowing that at that given time I was in the same room as some of the most powerful men and women in Washington, D.C. is something that I will never forget.

The end of The Washington Center program was the Presidential Inauguration. Through numerous security checks and thousands of people I was finally able to make my way to my designated location about 400 yards away from where the President and Vice President would be sworn in at. Through the extreme D.C. wind and being crammed in next to thousands of strangers the historical beauty of the Presidential Inauguration was soon replaced by a visual image of being inside next to a fire and watching it all on TV. However, once it was over and I was able to witness President Bush take his oath I, of course, was very glad that I could say that I had attended a Presidential Inauguration.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the day was the walk back to the Metro in which I had to walk past all of the protestors. Most of them were protesting the usual stuff such as the war and abortion, but then there was an isolated group of protestors that really caught my eye. I honestly cannot say what they were protesting and they obviously were not affiliated with a political party, but the basis behind their protesting was directed towards gays, claiming that the reason 9/11 happened was because of the gay community. One sign had a picture of a plane flying into one of the Twin Towers and below it saying “God laughs while America Cries,” while another sign simply said “God hates Gays.” As a very strong religious person this was probably the most disturbing thing that I had ever experienced. To know that such people could be so twisted in their thoughts to believe such things was really heart breaking. For me, the only thing I could think to do was to be thankful that I live in a country where it is okay for people to stand a few hundred yards away from the Presidential Inauguration and demonstrate whatever it is they feel passionate about, despite how absurd it may seem to the general public. This ideal leads me to believe that perhaps this is the most reasonable grounds to be thankful to be an American.

After the Inauguration I had successfully completed a year long study inside the political world. Throughout the year I have eagerly searched to find the true differences between the conservatives and liberals. By doing this, I had envisioned that it would help me discover my place in either the conservative or liberal party affiliation. This journey deepened when I began studying Socrates and his philosophy of finding the truth and avoiding ignorance. This approach has given me much grief over the past year as I have been in constant contact with people on both the right and left of the political spectrum, and both sides seem to be so glued into their own ideology that they do not even consider that perhaps there is a better solution to this nation’s problems.

This brings up the issue of open-mindedness. To be open-minded one must be receptive to different views and opinions. However, many people get confused of the purpose of being open-minded. These people are actually narrow-minded about being open-minded! The idea is not to remain open-minded, but to be open-minded in hopes of one day becoming narrow-minded. Once someone has reached that place, then they can better communicate the reasons for there beliefs while at the same time seeming to have a legitimate argument. Someone who does not follow this approach can only offer their beliefs without explaining why their beliefs are better than someone else’s. By doing this, one loses credibility in whomever they are talking to. The problem with the political system is that very few people attempt this approach. Due to this the most important thing in the United States, our government, is becoming extremely polarized. This path will not be changed until we are able to find a common ground. Until we can respect opposing viewpoints, we can never begin to reach for improvement.

Looking back on this past year it is clear that my journey is still ongoing. As of now I feel I am nowhere close to establishing myself as a conservative or a liberal. Instead, I like to think of myself as an idealist. There is a reason why the Democrats believe in pro-choice and more social programs. There is also a reason why the Republicans believe in pro-life and tax cuts. The importance of what these two parties believe in goes only as far as why they believe in them. This is where the common ground can be reached. History shows that this concept is a lot easier said than done, but I believe that once people begin striving for that better America than we can write a new chapter on our nation’s history. A chapter that shows a steady incline towards the common goals of both parties, and the end of the up and down struggles that takes place every time a presidential term is up. John F. Kennedy once said in his Inaugural address, “All of this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.” This past year has opened my eyes to new things and given me a more broad understanding as to what possibilities I may have after college. Regardless of what my future holds I hope to use this past year as encouragement to other kids my age to step outside of their comfort zone and attempt to do something that perhaps they didn’t even think was possible. As one literary figure put it, “Everyday sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort.” At a time where America is in need of new heroes and new visions this quote offers the inspiration and hope needed to make a difference and to contribute as an American to reunite this country that has been extremely polarized over the last four years. It is time for us all to make that first effort.

Wilson Paine's China Experience

The first dynasty in China came into being over 4,000 years ago - 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. This fact alone was enough to get a history major like myself interested in visiting a modernized and yet ancient country like China. Perhaps the most interesting, and sometimes most disturbing part about China is that its history has been so enclosed within the country for so long; that it was incredibly hard to feel a direct connection to its historical sites. Blocked off by mountains and water, China has been isolated from most of the outside world for centuries, allowing its history and inventions to be formed without influence from outside countries. Unlike most of the western world, China’s history is still very vague, and in many instances interpreted through myths and stories. When preparing for my 3-week venture to the other side of the world I developed certain perceptions of what I thought it would be like. These perceptions were drawn from my thoughts about communism, China’s technological monopoly on the world, Eastern religions, and America’s influence throughout the world, especially with its allies like China. My perceptions held up until I landed in Beijing on July 14th. With my preconceived notions thrown out the window, I no longer knew what to expect.

Receiving an American education was perhaps my first problem when trying to imagine what a communist country would “look” like. Thanks to Joseph McCarthy, my images of communism were based around subjugated citizens, depression, poor, and most importantly, a country afraid to move forward. I had imagined equality; everyone to be dressed similar, with the same amount of goods and services. I was also unsure with the aspect of how Mao Zedong would be remembered. In most history classes taught in America, Mao Zedong is mentioned, mostly when discussing the Korean War, and is seen as an evil dictator who massacred thousands of Chinese civilians. I was not sure if this same portrayal of Mao Zedong existed in China as well.

With all of these questions about communism hovering around I was surprised with what I was able to witness first-hand among Chinese citizens. Some of my predictions were accurate, but others were not. For one, I had thought that the strict policies enforced by the government would be well-known, if not memorized, by the people. However, when I asked people to explain to me the One-Child policy I received several different answers. One of our tour guides said that the policy was enforced on everybody, regardless of their geographic location within the country or if they were a single-child or not. Others said that residents within a city were allowed one child, but if a family lived on a farm they were allowed to have a second child only if there first child was a girl. The final explanation I heard was that if both husband and wife were single children then they were allowed to have two children. These contradictions took me by surprise since the punishments for breaking the policies seemed to be severe. I never was able to come to terms with why there were so many different assumptions to what the policy meant, so I threw it into my hat of unexplained events that would continue to grow as the trip progressed.

As I mentioned earlier, my historical perspective of Mao Zedong was strictly based on the Korean War and a brief history of his Long March in 1949 to become Chairman and turn China into a communist state. Surprisingly, I had never heard of the 1989 student riots until I arrived in Beijing, and was informed of the incident by a fellow American student. Knowing what I did about Zedong I figured he would either be revered or despised by many Chinese citizens. I soon found out that the former was the correct presumption. This was especially revealed at our group’s visit to a local farmer’s home. Inside his one-room house were a dozen or so posters of Mao Zedong, with a Chinese flag flying outside. These posters portrayed Mao as a people’s leader, one that came from a farming background and represented all that was virtuous and right for the common people. It was fascinating to see him so beloved, although so many people in and outside of Beijing could question the genuineness of this love.

While this love for Mao Zedong could lead one to believe that communism in China is actually practiced the way it was meant to be, there were still some signs of what always leads to the destruction of communist states: greed. While greed is what keeps a capitalist country going, it is the one thing that always keeps a country from becoming purely communist. By greed I don’t mean it in the same sense as is often defined in America, but rather as the wanting of an individual for finer things, whether it is money, cars, food, etc. This want can not always be considered a vice, but when you live in a country whose government abides by an ideology that is supposed to eliminate hierarchies, this want becomes a problem. While in China I learned of two different instances in which this type of greed was evident. The first was told to our group by our teacher, who spoke about different aspects of society within Beijing. According to our teacher, children are assigned certain school zones that determine the school in which they are required to attend. However, the schools are not all equal, and so many parents wish their children to go to the better schools, even if it is not within their zone. The principal of each school is responsible for the enrollment process and in many cases, according to our teacher, will accept an undisclosed amount of money to allow a child to attend his school even if that child is supposed to attend another school. The other instance was when our group went to visit Tsinghua University, the most prestigious university in China. At this institution of higher education, we were able to meet and talk to the school’s Vice-President. The Vice-President led us into a large conference room that was very extravagant. He had four different servants, three of which poured us tea, and the other who answered the Vice President’s cell phone when it rang in the middle of his speech to us. After our designated time with him was up we continued our tour on campus and shortly saw him ride away in a brand new black Audi. To the western world all of that would probably be viewed as rewards for a man that had worked hard and become successful, but in a country where the majority of people ride their bikes because they can not afford cars, it makes me question how truly communist the different members of the Communist Party in China really are.

The most difficult part about being in China, besides the obvious language barrier, was becoming accustomed to the different norms and behaviors of the Chinese people. Two examples stand out to me when I begin to think about what was/was not acceptable behavior. The habit that was most observed among everyone in our group was the staring issue. Whenever we went somewhere as a group we would constantly have dozens of eyes transfixed on our every movement. To make it worse, there staring would not cease when they made eye contact with one of us. In America, if one is staring at someone they normally look away when they realize that the one they are staring at has caught them staring. In China being caught seems to make them want to stare harder, which to me often times led to a competitive eye-staring match where I would stare at them until they eventually looked away. Although victory was not always mine. This acceptable behavior became very annoying in a sense that it almost made you feel violated because of their constant staring.

Another norm that took awhile to get used to was the lack of personal space. This may not be liked much be the Chinese people either, but in a city that is as heavily populated as Beijing, I suppose there is no other solution than to eliminate personal space. My boiling point was reached at The Great Wall when the crowd was so squeezed together so tightly that it was nearly impossible for me to even turn around. Shouldering my way to the top I also had to be on the look out for wavering umbrellas that appeared to be out of control from within their master’s hands. My temptation to heave an umbrella over the Great Wall was exceedingly high.

I began thinking about why these certain behaviors were accepted here and was stuck between two opposing views: 1) because it is a big city or 2) strictly because of the Chinese society and how they are raised. One of the professors on the program was a Sociologist and he believed that the people here in China behaved the way they did because of how they were born and raised and they had just gotten used to it. He was mostly referring to the chaotic driving structure and the constant battle between the drivers of cars and the bicyclists. I am a little more hesitant to come to this conclusion simply because I hear of similar horror stories from people visiting New York City, Washington D.C., and so on. Regardless of the reasons for why the Chinese behave the way they do, it definitely took some getting used to, or at the very least some restraint.

Probably the most striking bit of information that I acquired while over in China was that a practiced religion was not one of the acceptable norms. In fact, the citizens that practice a religion were largely in the minority. Buddhism makes up the leading religion and that is only practiced by 6% of the Chinese people. This small number is potentially confusing when one looks at the different lamaseries around Beijing. One particular lamasery housed the largest wooden Buddha in the world standing 27 meters tall, 18 of the 27 above ground. This lamasery also had many other smaller Buddha’s and was still an area of worship for many Buddhists in Beijing. Being able to witness their worshipping rituals was very intriguing and captivating, especially in regards to its similarities to Christian worship.

By saying that the majority of the Chinese are not religious does not mean that they are all mostly atheists, which was the connection many of the students in our group made. While this may appear contradictory, it in fact shows yet another interesting aspect to the Chinese people. For instance, one of our teachers at Beijing Normal University spoke to us on this issue for a little bit and said that the majority of her age group (mid to late 20s) did not believe in any type of life after death. However, in her same speech she told us that she was destined to be a teacher and that it was fate for her to end up teaching at Beijing National University. So while she may not be “religious” it is clear that she believed in something, it was just unclear as to what or who.

China provided a wide variety of history, culture, and sociological trends that help explain the complex structure that makes up Asia. How can the leading country in technology also have its history explained by myths, stories, and ancient relics? Many people believe China will be the next world super power, yet there are constant talks of human rights violations within its communist party. China is a country filled with opposing and unexplainable standards, yet continues to astonish historians, philosophers, medical researchers, and tourists alike. Going to China widened my knowledge of the world, and perhaps more importantly widened my understanding of people and the impact that society has on them.

Wilson Paine '07