Sociological Imagination: The Drive To My Future

The Sociological Imagination, by some, is described as the ability to shift from one perspective to another.  When looking into this blog post assignment in particular, this definition, or, understanding of the phase, hit home for me. Thinking back to the days I spent as a 12 year old there were no immediate red flags or major events that I could name off the top of my head. This was the year of 2005; economic growth had unexpectedly weakened, 838 US soldiers had been killed in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina had deprived our country of 1,836 friends, family members, and lovers. My first reaction to reviewing these times and trying to feel what I had felt as a 12 year old trying to digest such complex and 'over-my-head' topics. It must not have felt relevant or worthy of considerable concern at that time. Now that I'm 19 and have lived 7 years of life experiences to see how such major events could have played out in my life, it seems that 2005 has, surprisingly, had an amazing impact on my accomplishments, personality, and goals.

Hurricane Katrina, along with some other catastrophic events around the world has created a burning inside of me to serve others. Seeing the hurt and immense amount of sadness among so many people, normal people, it kills me and drives me to do what I can to create a positive spin on as many individuals as possible.

 


Though I believe serving others is my calling and always has been something deep inside me, it wasn't until the past couple years that I truly took matters into my own hands in terms of making something happen. This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to serve orphans in Nicaragua where they are suffering from poverty and an oppressive government. This experience alone was nothing short of life changing, eye opening, and inspiration to continue serving.



In terms of the effects of such events on my life for my future, I have the goal of becoming a doctor in hopes of helping those in need. Ideally I would love to travel to countries that may be dealing with outstanding circumstances and not have much medical access. Thinking back on my childhood, keeping in mind the sociological imagination, I was able to pull out aspects of year 2005 that stand out as some of the most influential events to my life now.