This past January when I walked into the Multicultural Programs and Services office at FIU, I was walking into an experience that I had yet to realize would change the way I shaped my experiences. I was walking into a meeting with my now supervisor and mentor, Gisela Vega. We were meeting to discuss my goals, expectations, and intentions behind wanting to do a practicum in the LGBTQA Initiatives suboffice. Once we got through the paperwork and general questions, before we reached my goals and expectations, she looked at me from across her desk and asked,"What do you want to be your legacy for this position, for FIU?" At first the question caught me off guard because leaving a legacy was not something I was intending, I wanted to get in learn somethings, build my portfolio, and make connections. It had never occurred to me that I could leave a legacy behind. That single moment triggered a new way of thinking for me, what am I leaving behind when I leave here?
That question continues to sit in the back of my mind as I move forward into another office, another class, another role, but it has also permeated the way I see the world as a whole. What are we, those currently guiding and leading, leaving behind? In 2113 when students in school are learning about what we went through and what we have done in response, what will they see? Will they see the advances in technology for improved healthcare or will they see the use of technology to control and destroy others? Will we be a culture and time shown as hateful and destructive with few glimmers of hope and good? What legacy are we leaving for our future? I can't answer these questions but I can look at how the news has gone the past few months and see mostly things that would scare me or make me think that this point in our history is more negative then positive.
That also leads to my second question, what are we creating? In my Contemporary Issues class we talk about how we as a nation are creating individuals dependent on social media and how it has even found it's way into psychiatric diagnoses. While I am a victim of this social media craze I can also see how it may become a true detriment to our future. Are we going to continue to create a culture that is based heavily on instant gratification? Does exposure to the way media works, based on sex sales and disaster generates viewer attention, change the speed at which our children grow up? We already live in a culture (speaking specifically to America) where girls think that getting pregnant at a young age will land them on TV, that acting wild and doing things that reasonably seem stupid (for lack of better term) will help make them famous. Are we creating a culture and future generations that will not even think about the past, that will be so self-absorbed and focused on now that they are worse off then we currently are?
So not only do I wonder what I am leaving behind for others but I also wonder once I become a father what kind of values and such will I leave with my children? Traditionally people say that your children are your legacy, they are an extension of you with the intentions of them being better. So when thinking about what kind of people I want my children to be the answer is rather simple in my mind. I want to instill in them the values of knowledge for knowledge sake, true interpersonal interaction, caring, social justice, a drive to their passions, honesty, enjoyment of the little things (even little kid things like tag and watching Darkwing Duck), openness, and a love for life that is based on appreciation for what is natural and organic (both in nature and within the human spirit). There are other things that would be nice for them to learn and believe but I would not want to limit them in their on life adventure (especially before they are even born...well they haven't been conceived yet either).
In case you were wondering I am working on my legacy for FIU. I helped create and implement a campus wide pronoun campaign that kicked off on April 5th and is slowing working its way around. I am also working on a transgender 101 style educational program to be used as well. I have also learned that I leave a little legacy with everyone I interact with and get the chance to educate about transgender issues or even just by being me and giving them a kind smile or a helping hand.
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