Reevaluating the biases that shape how we think about, and engage with, the world.
I am writing from within the country where I live, the United States. Being non-native to this country, I find myself often reflecting on place—what it means to be thinking and writing from within a particular place, and what influence the geographic region with which we identify has on how one thinks.
The more one reflects, the more one realizes that place influences more or less everything. That is not to say that one embraces a nationalist perspective that excludes any consideration of other countries and the people who live in them. But it is to say we should not overlook the degree to which most of us see the world through the lens of where we live. This perspective implies an acknowledgment of the difference between places, that however much we may embrace a universalist outlook—and we should embrace such an outlook—places are different, and this is reflected in the values and attitudes of the people who live in them. For all we share in common, we should remember that not everyone in the world lives the way we live, thinks the way we think, or has the same aspirations we have. Where we live is central to shaping our thinking about all of this, and this has direct applicability to how we think of the role of health within a global lens.
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