Living in Libertyville is like living in a bubble. The walls protect us from many of the harsh realities afflicting much of the world, but often times, we forget that our bubble is translucent. We have the ability to look outside of Libertyville and learn about the incredible world that lies beyond. Why is it, then, that so many of us choose not to look? More and more, I’ve noticed some LHS students falling into the small-minded, small-town stereotype.
There are several reasons for our sometimes intolerant views. First and foremost, the fact that we are pretty homogenous overall creates numerous issues. A whopping 87% of LHS are white--27% higher than the state wide public school average. Because we don’t have a ton of exposure to different types of people, some feel less than welcome here. Some people become closed-off to different ideas and cultures, viewing our own way of life as the only norm. When faced with ideas that differ from our own, some of us don’t even make an attempt to understand. We all-to-often dismiss things that are out of the ordinary entirely, deeming them “weird” or “bizarre”. This needs to change. When exposed to something unfamiliar to us, we should try to understand and appreciate before drawing conclusions.
Although undeniably cheesy, the cliché “variety is the spice of life” does ring true. We should all try to be more accepting of people’s differences. When the time comes to leave Libertyville, an open mind is an important tool to carry because our world is changing all around us. The international world is more interconnected than ever before, and many occupations now require dealing with foreign countries in some way. Ignorance and narrow-mindedness aren’t exactly flattering.
One benefit of our secluded existence is the safety we enjoy here, but even that presents issues. Sometimes, we get a little too comfy and forget that real-world dangers are everywhere—Libertyville included. The people of Libertyville understand that we live in a first-rate community, but sometimes that assumption causes people to turn a blind eye to the problems afflicting our town. As many students and teachers know, LHS has a significant drug problem, for example. However, oftentimes when the subject is brought up among parents and other members of the community, there’s a resounding, “Here? No, not in Libertyville.”
We’ve conceived this notion in our minds that Libertyville doesn’t have issues. We’ve grown up with the knowledge that, for the most part, we don’t have to worry about our safety. This breeds naïveté, which can become a problem in places that aren’t as safe as Libertyville. Sure, we’re all well-versed in “stranger danger,” but most of have never encountered real violence and crime. This is, of course, far from a bad thing, but it’s important that we remember to stay aware of our environments. We can't assume a person is trustworthy just because they come from a good community.
Make no mistake, Libertyville is a wonderful community and a great place to grow up. It is just important that we understand that the world is changing around us, and we will need to be adaptable and understanding in order to achieve and move forward in our lives. Anywhere beyond the white-picket fences of Libertyville will be vastly different, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
photo illustration by Sarah Hombach