Both the reading and podcast caused me to view current systemic issues in our world differently. I had never fully confronted the notion that even our society’s “experts,” such as government officials, educators, and the like, are prone to not making the best decisions to improve society’s overall welfare in the long run. Nonetheless, I believe that we- younger generations- have been conditioned to solve problems that might arise in the short-term than the long-term. For instance, in college, some students solve the problem of not feeling overwhelmed by their many assignments by consuming caffeine or other stimulants and staying up for hours on end without proper rest. In fact, this type of behavior is rewarded and lauded by other students as it is evidence of one’s ambition, grit, and determination. While the short-term benefits of this action would result in a major dopamine and serotonin boost for the individual, they do not always realize how staying up late cost them the longevity they needed to not feel “burnt out” so early on in a semester or cost them the opportunities they could have had to connect with others. This is not even to mention the consequences this would have on an individual’s mental health or the root causes of the issue at hand, which principally centers on how America’s higher education system does not normalize putting oneself well-being over academic and professional accolades. I know now that the aforementioned system is only part of a much larger socio-cultural system that needs serious re-evaluation: America’s toxic workaholic culture.

I say all this to say that I agree with Dr. Bezio and Dorner that we need to adopt a more holistic approach to solving systemic issues. Ideally, I feel that we all would need to take a second to reflect and analyze what things have worked for our society in the past and why before we start asking ourselves how we can build a better future. On top of this, I feel that it’s equally important to involve multiple stakeholders who are excluded from the Western world’s definition of expertise- being a skilled worker who holds prestigious degrees and has accolades attributed to one’s name. As most of us should know by now, diversity, equity, and inclusivity have positive consequences for our global society in both the short and long-term as people’s intersectional identities are the key to unraveling our world’s most complex problems that affect complex populations.