King College junior Micah-Sage Bolden writes on his experiences as an ISP student
SALZBURG – May 12, 2012
My first three days of the Salzburg Global Seminar have in many ways been everything I expected, and yet beyond anything I could ever have imagined.
Growing up in a valley of the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Tennessee, it had always been a far off dream to see firsthand the idyllic landscape of Europe. My day of arrival in Salzburg was a day of firsts: my first time to leave the Southeastern United States, my first time ever riding in a plane, my first time in Europe, and yet the kindness with which I was greeted by the faculty, staff, and fellow attendees of the seminar resonated with a charm that echoed the Southern hospitality of my homeland.
The topic of the seminar – global citizenship – at first seemed as foreign as the Schloss or the mighty fortress on the hill, but just as the Schloss quickly became a second home, so too did the concept of global citizenship rapidly settle into the deepest confines of my mind and heart.
The plenary discussions of the seminar helped to make concrete the airy concepts of ethnocentrism and globalization, challenging me with firsthand encounters of global citizenship; sitting in the plenary discussions, surrounded by amazing minds from all over the world and the beautiful landscape of the Austrian countryside, it quickly became clear what global citizenship meant and how this should play out in our everyday lives. From the concise and informative sessions of Mapping Ethnocentrism and Mapping Globalization, to the insightful lecture regarding the dramatic migratory patterns of humanity, to the amazingly inspirational (and eye-opening) lecture by Najwa Gadaheldam on women in Islam and Africa, each session helped to solidify the concept of global citizenship while prompting edifying question and answer sessions.
My favorite moments of the seminar by far, though, have been the profound conversations I have shared with my fellow students and the faculty. Not only have I discovered kindred spirits that have further inspired and developed my ideals and future plans, but I have also been exposed for the first time to challenges that rarely transverse into my daily consciousness. My conversations with the students of Bennett College have, in particular, helped to develop my understanding of the problems of race and gender in our country as well as my understanding of the challenge of white privilege to equality and justice in the U.S. and the world as a whole; I have never before in my life had such weighty conversations that both influence my way of thinking and help me to understand the steps needed to confront these problems.
The first three days of the Seminar have already proven to be some of the most important of my life in regards to my intellectual and spiritual growth and have helped me to understand the need for cooperation in the confrontation of violence, hate, and injustice in our globalized society. As Mrs. Gadaheldam said, “Don’t think you can walk alone in this world and make a difference,” and it is with this powerful sentiment that I move forward to embrace the rest of the seminar.
Micah-Sage Bolden is a junior at King College in Bristol, TN, USA. He is majoring in history, political science and philosophy, concentrating on intelligence and security studies. He is the communications officer of the King Security and Intelligence Studies Group (KSI) and a member of the King World Awareness and Activation Campaign. He has served as the executive editor of King College’s Security and Intelligence Studies Journal; editor-in-chief of the Kayseean, a bi-weekly student publication; a member of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Peace Education Center; and co-author of “Social Networking as a Paradigm Shift in Tactical Intelligence Collection” in the 2012 Mediterranean Council for Intelligence Studies. In the future, Micah-Sage would like work in diplomacy and social activism.
