Berkley Center

Throughout the years, soil accumulates sacredness, having felt the steps of theologians, politicians, and the rest of society’s constituents as history is made. In the city of Edinburgh, men walked its cobblestones during the Witch Trials, the Reformation, Mary Queen of Scots’s reign, and many other events that have shaped the culture the city and the world know today. I boarded the plane to Scotland thrilled to just set foot on this energy-filled space.

I landed and found myself amidst very cosmopolitan Scots pushing the limits of culture further than Washingtonians back home. Abbeys older than my state of Virginia have been converted into pubs and coffee shops. Construction workers eat their Subway wraps in Greyfriar’s Bobby Graveyard, whose ground has been home to the deceased for over 200 years. Cathedral ruins dating back to the twelfth century lie within feet of sheep farms and cottages. Unlike Washington, D.C., there are no words about political parties or prime ministerial issues over a pint. The dichotomy of this culturally rich land and its inhabitants' nonchalant attitudes thoroughly surprised me.

I began to understand, however, that this is a luxury those in a relatively peaceful, culturally rich country are afforded. This luxury is heightened by Scotland’s consistently thriving economy and comfortable political situation, which is usually outside of the international spotlight. Juxtaposing this inattentive atmosphere with the intense one I encountered in Africa this past June truly underlines my observations. I traveled to an African nation to study and to try to create programs aiding the education of the country’s youth. While I was there, God or the president was a perpetual topic of conversation. It was difficult for my friends, who had spent their entire lives in the struggling nation, to relax. Humor and leisure were almost seen as faults in that they were distractions from the work of improving the quality of life for their community. This is not to say there was no happiness or fun, more that they were allowed so long as we stayed motivated otherwise. Brits on the other hand may munch on their afternoon meal in old buildings or spend many quid on pub quizzes because circumstances have left space for times of incognizance. Many have already fought the inner-Christianity battles that have resulted in a comfortable array of sects from which to choose. Decades have softened the multiple parties running for parliament, pulling most towards the center and providing less consequential elections.

The United States is a sort of anomaly. While we have enjoyed relative peace at home for decades and an economic system much stronger and more reliable than most in the international financial market, I believe that our spot at the center of the world’s political stage has not allowed the quieter, calmer political and religious societies that Scotland appreciates. Our dual party elections polarize our political system, creating greater consequence when our president, arguably the “most powerful man in the world,” is elected. Enjoying a sort of global hegemony since the fall of the Soviet Union has meant that the only place for our country to go is down. Let us face it: most students at Georgetown and other American universities enjoy the prospect of being a part of the most powerful government in the world. While these notions seem obvious to a modern scholar, I remark on them because my world travels have increasingly focused my feelings on the matter.