Americans don't know enough

As the month of September began, Americans quietly prepared for the anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack in our history. And when the 11th arrived, most of us watched at least one of the hundreds of special television programs, or read at least one of the thousands of newspaper articles. We may have remembered Sept. 11 in different ways, but as Americans we all stood together in solidarity; as Americans last Wednesday was a time for us to grieve together, as one nation, as one people.\nBut we were not the only nation to grieve. In watching the rest of the world, it became clear the shockwaves Sept. 11 created extended far beyond America\'s boundaries. According to a Sept. 12 article from the London Times Online, much of the world remembered with us. \nIn Australia, well before any American got out of bed, 3,000 people gathered on the beach at Surfers\' Paradise in Queensland and formed a human version of our flag, visible from miles above.\n"It's not just America's war, because terrorism can strike any country, including Australia," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in a Sept. 12 article of the London Times Online, "Hostility rears its head as nations join global tribute," by Charles Bremner.\nIn Europe, displays of support continued throughout. In Pisa, Italy, the leaning tower was adorned with a white banner that read: "From the Tower to the towers. September 11, 2002. Memory, solidarity and peace."\nParis projected twin laser beams -- representing the World Trade Center -- into the night sky. In Kosovo, people lit candles on the streets. More than 180 choirs around the world marked the anniversary with a "rolling" performance of Mozart's Requiem that continued across multiple time zones.\nClearly the world is not only knowledgeable about but also compassionate toward America. One would think that we too would display the same respect for other cultures and other histories. And yet, as a country we so often fail to recognize the importance of understanding other cultures. \nI did not realize how culturally unaware Americans can be until I lived in another country. Last semester I studied abroad in Prague. I returned home with a hugely different perspective on life and humanity, as I was immersed in so many different cultures during my five months away. I also returned home to find a majority of people have no idea where Prague is, nor that it's not in Czechoslovakia; Czechoslovakia was dissolved in 1992 and the Czech Republic and Slovakia were established instead. Prague is in the Czech Republic.\nSure this is a minor lapse in historical knowledge, but it is representative of the fact that Americans don't know enough about the world. Although we are not faced with a barrage of other cultures like Europeans are, it is still no excuse. \nI have to admit while reading the London Times, I felt guilty that so many countries demonstrated support and sympathy for our healing nation on Sept. 11 and yet we so rarely show the same respect to other cultures of the world.\nWhile backpacking through Europe, we ended up having to spend the night in the Bern, Switzerland train station. We were beginning to regret our decision to save money by not staying in a hostel when we luckily met a couple security guards, Ramon and Daniel, who we hung out with the entire night until their shift ended at 5 a.m. I can definitively say that I learned more from their conversation than in an entire month in Prague. We talked about culture, politics, education, music, America. Ramon not only spoke impeccable English, but also German, Italian, French and Swiss-German. And he knew more about American history than I did.\nAt one point he said, "Just do me one favor -- spread the word that the globe is bigger than the states." \nIn analyzing his words, I realized their truth. We may be the super power of the world, we may have the most freedom of any nation and we may have mastered the art of capitalism, but if America were a contestant on Jeopardy with Spain and Switzerland, we'd no doubt lose. \nLet the show of the world's support on Sept. 11 be a wake-up call. Re-read your sixth-grade world history book. Pick up a New York Times more often than never. Flip through the pages of National Geographic. Realize that our world is so much larger than the country we live in. Realize that our differences deserve celebration and appreciation.