What is Vicente Doing?

I get asked all the time “Vicente, what are you doing nowadays? What’s with your fascination with the Middle East? Why do you want to get involved with that region?” and “What are you going to do with your degree and what do you want to do career-wise?” So, I thought I would take the time to give you insight on what I am studying, why I’m studying it, and what I plan to do with it.

MY BACKGROUND
First, to understand me you must understand my foundation. You are probably well-aware of the following but a simply reiteration will give more meaning to my current state of being. I was raised by two Mexican-American parents: one who chose a career in the Army and the other who chose to loyally support his pursuit and the well-being of her children (it was not as machovinistic as it seems; in fact, it was quite progressive and equal). With that said, I moved around a lot and experienced the different societies and communities that which make the United States rich in diversity yet poor in equality.

I went to high school in a low-income community that did not have the luxury to provide me or my peers with the resources necessary to join the competitive pool that others our age often enjoy. I was ignorant to this fact until I started to attend college at Georgetown University where many, if not most, got the best education the world can offer while growing up (and that is no exaggeration). This inequality jumpstarted my interest in domestic issues and politics of which I am now extremely active. When I first arrived to DC I was welcomed with the unprecedented attacks on American soil. The image I saw of the Pentagon in flames from my bedroom window scarred my memory but has helped me realize that there is indeed a world outside our borders that has just as much importance on us as we do on them; it does not help that now, with the ignorant and unilateral thinking of President George W. Bush, the world has turned against our great country due to the illegal and catastrophical invasion of Iraq and many other important factors.

From this so-called War on Terror, many people, especially Republicans, have formatted their agendas to more of a War of Hate for personal gain. Regarding anyone not like us as evil, i.e. Axis of Evil, is a recipe for hate and for hateful actions. Tainting the Middle East and its people, Arabs and Muslims, as evil-doers and generalizing them as terrorist is the complete wrong approach. We, as Americans who are role-models for the world, must take root in our morals and values, whether it be from Abrahamic religions or not, to overcome this hatred and build bridges for a peaceful end of the conflicts that plague our time.

PURPOSE OF MY STUDIES
Thus, my mission has been to be a building block for that bridge. I’ve come to Brussels to gain a better understanding of the world and experience life outside the American bubble where we often feel too comfortable. I can already express that all the Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Jews, Arabs, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and, yes, even homosexuals that I have met have the same goals and ideals as we, “Americans”, do *(and, yes, they do all inhabit our country). They understand all people are different: they have different religions, different cultures, different lifestyles, but they all want equality and the right to fulfil their potential just like we do. Therefore, I am, specifically, obtaining my Masters Degree in International Conflict Analysis to study in depth how to overcome these issues and misconceptions on more of an international, non-American biased scale.

WHY MY PURSUIT IN THIS FIELD?
I have come across close friends that say “we need to bomb the shit out of those Muslims to protect our country and our Christian beliefs” which is often communicated through shows like Fox News; I simply don’t understand how they can say that. What Christian wants death on an innocent life? What Christian does not want to share their love with mankind and preach hatred? There are many preachers that surprisingly defend views like these and, honestly, I don’t see the difference between their radical views of “bombing the shit out of non-Christians” to those of the terrorists of whom we should actually be putting our focus. The few that believe this radical view in the US are actually a lot more in numbers in comparison to the radical Muslims in the Middle East.

WHAT I PLAN TO DO
The job I am taking in the fall is to alleviate this problem and educate people on how “others”, whether they are non-Christians or non-Americans, are really just like us. We are all rational beings but just simply have different approaches, sometimes they are wrong (not purposely) but more often they are right. Everyone makes mistakes. My position as US-Muslim Relations Program Director at the Americans for Informed Democracy (www.aidemocracy.org) is one way I will be trying to communicate this.

Afterwards, my career path consists of field work in the Middle East to gain more understanding of the average Muslim Arab and to learn Arabic and then back to the US to share what I have learned, hopefully in a think-tank of some sort. Eventually, I think I would like to hold a seat in office to pursue an agenda of peace and equality, domestically and internationally. I could care less if I am elected or not, but what I do care is that we elect people with the right convictions and strong foundations to pursuit peace and equality.

IMPLICATIONS
So, I could not have reached this point in my life where I have learned that mankind is, indeed, of rationale and love without your influence. Your impact on my life has added to my recipe of diversity and compassion for others…I simply hope you reflect and do the same.

Therefore, I implore you to welcome a Muslim over for dinner, take a homosexual for coffee, or have a chat with an atheist. Do NOT preach to them that they are wrong in their lifestyle and infuse a poison of hatred; they are the way they are due to circumstances out of our hands. Not only that but who says they are wrong? God?...perhaps, but let God do the judging and don’t impose your humanly-and thus imperfect-interpretation on others. If anything, you can change the way they are with your love and compassion. Many people call this tolerance, but tolerance has a negative implication that implies that you are merely putting up with something you do not like or agree…I am saying that you must accept others for who they are and to NOT simply “put up” with them…only then can peace and progress be achieved.

Believe me, I get more anti-Catholic remarks, comments, and attempts to be converted a lot more than you think and I’m sure you wouldn’t like that happen to you so don’t do that to others. I like to think I change people’s minds about Catholicism by not preaching down their throats about this and that, but rather through my actions and grounded faith. In fact, I know I have. Plus, I even know someone close to me that has tried to push their beliefs on another but ended up pushing them further away…they did more harm than good. I ask that you spread your morals, values, and love on others…it is what I have been striving to do and wish to continue to do.

IN SHORT
In short, I am pursuing my Masters Degree in International Conflict Analysis outside the US to gain a better understanding of the world so I can hopefully alleviate it of its injustices, especially against intolerance and inequality of others like Arabs and Muslims. My future will consist of this continued pursuit and perhaps lead me to a political office…who knows?