Paramount and Politics

I have one more day left of volunteering and I have to say that the whole volunteer experience was nothing like I expected it to be.

I’m not totally sure what I thought it would be like but I definitely did not think I would be surrounded by a group of people who I related so much with and had a genuine connection with. In these last few days I’ve learned so much about my fellow volunteers and heard so many incredible life stories. I think I expected to just volunteer with other people and simply get the job done but instead I had the privilege of meeting so many people who I sincerely think I could be long-term friends with if I lived in the area and they have all been the highlight of my time here in Austin.

Political opinions have oddly enough been one thing that has been a topic of discussion in recent days among some of the people I met. Today at our venue we watching the premiere screening of the animated documentary Towers, which is a film that about the tragedy at the tower at University of Texas Austin in ’66.

Despite how heartbreaking it was to watch the movie, it was profound and thought-provoking. It was an extremely well done film that has left a lasting imprint unlike any of the other films I’ve watched while here.

One of the volunteers is an exchange student from Australia. After the movie she instantly questioned “America’s obsession with guns” and argued that changing gun laws would prevent mass shooting from occurring as it did in Australia 20 years ago.

The film lead to larger discussion of politics among the volunteers, and I really enjoyed having the chance to have conversations about worldly issues with people from varying places.