Scholarship Essay Entry – Jonathan W.

Recently while working in Asia for the summer I heard a quote from Lao Tzu the father of Taoism. He said ‘Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It’s much simpler to wear shoes.’ And I realized that it eloquently summed up what my life has been to this point, a search to understand myself and the world around me in order to find my path.
 
While few things have been constant in my life, shifting from new countries to new jobs to new mountains, the one thing I have known for years is that I needed to find a way to give back to the world. This stemmed from my younger life in Rimbey, a small town in central Alberta. I did not realize until years later what a special place it was, family, friends and the rest of the town combined to create a strong and vibrant community. In turn this lead me to set up an Individualized Major at the University of Alberta in International Development Studies, because how better to give back than to work with NGOs to improve the well-being of people all over the world.
 
However, what I continue to learn in my travels and especially from my summer in Ladakh, a culturally Tibetan region of Northern India, is that the truly important things in my life are people and the communities they form. What Ladakh made clear to me is the importance of community in individual’s security and self-confidence, even in the midst of flooding the people maintained their joy for life knowing they had family, friends and neighbours to rely on.
 
 Unfortunately, for both the Ladakhis, and ourselves this way of life, with people in touch with others and the land is quickly disappearing. Years of government policy have undermined the roots of our society by pushing for unrestrained growth in all sectors. By favour the large over the small, this system has made local enterprises unprofitable within a global market. Across Canada, we see rural communities fall into decline and eventually fail; people are forced to move away from nature into the cities in search of a fulfilling livelihood.
 
I have come to realize that what is most important to me is also fundamental to the well-being and continuation of the planet. Close connection between people and the land can lead to more fulfilling lives and greater environmental stewardship.
 
Therefore, as I near the end of my degree I can begin to see the path my future work will take me in, working for changes in policy and organizing community initiatives, both nationally and internationally, to promote diverse and vibrant rural communities, centered around local production and a respect for others and the natural environment.