We live in a bubble. Unfortunately, there is no denying this. The realm of Johnson County has left us lacking an idea of what lies outside the four walls we have built around our community. Every which way we look, our vision is clouded by the cookie-cutter persona we are expected to live up to. Reality is sparse and culture is almost non-existent.

Rarely has a typical ‘JoCo kid’ seen much outside of our mid-western version of the O.C. No, it is not that each and every one of us has never explored the world outside of Johnson County, but how many of us have really seen what the world is like outside of here? It is time to step up and it is time to make a change.

So, welcome to the challenge. We are challenging the school, as well as the Southwest community and all of Johnson County, to pop the bubble, so to speak, and do things outside of the usual. We need to step outside of our comfort zone and become more culturally aware. Life outside of Johnson County is going to be a wake-up call for a majority of us and if we don’t do something, we are in for a shock.

We have been on this planet for at least 14 years and some of us have resided in Johnson Couty our entire lives. Few would be the first to admit that they have a hypothetical stamp across their forehead reading ‘CULTURE DEFICIENT!’ Few will also be the first to admit that we need to step up to the plate and do something about it.

Of course, like most things, becoming culturally aware takes time. This cannot be achieved in a day or a week, but taking a step forward and beginning a journey down the ‘path de culture’ is all that is needed to gain the momentum to power through and become a culture fanatic.

So, here is the starting line. Go visit a museum in Kansas City, see an opera, attend a poetry reading or even attend an ethnic festival. Take the challenge and open up to things within reach. Go ahead, pop the bubble. The world around us is waiting.