Matthew Gluck '23 RGLP Reflection: Different Plays

My most formative intercultural experience occurred when I was 14 years old. I grew up in a town that was about 25 percent Jewish. Therefore, when I occasionally missed baseball practices or games for Jewish holidays or was limited in my selections in fast-food lines, there was little to explain because my teammates and coaches were mostly familiar with the general practices involved in Jewish observance.

After I finished playing Little League baseball in my town, I joined a travel team. This team was composed of players from several different towns in different regions of Massachusetts. Most of these players and coaches knew almost nothing about Judaism. So, when I said that I would miss some practices in the fall season and might have trouble finding something to eat at a barbecue restaurant, I saw a lot of puzzled faces. Sometimes snarky comments would accompany this lack of understanding of my religious practices.

At the time, I wanted to stand out because of my hits and plays in the field—not for my Judaism. So, I generally brushed off questions about why I did what I did and tried to downplay my Judaism.

Near the end of the season, after I had grown closer with my teammates, I began to have some limited—and surface-level—conversations about my Jewish practices and what they meant to me. It was nice to know that I had reached a point where I felt comfortable opening up, but it still felt like something was missing.

RGLP made clear what had been missing at age 14. It is not sufficient to discuss differences and work through them. Rather, difference is something we must intently embrace if we are to maximize the output of individuals and groups. It is only through realizing the strength embodied in intercultural interactions that we can reach new levels of connectivity and collaboration. 

I look forward to employing these lessons as I leave my baseball career in the past (where it belongs) and step off the Dartmouth campus into the professional world. I believe a focus on the power of difference will be a valuable asset in any context.