Seeing situations through other people's eyes is crucial in a globalized world, said Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Notre Dame High School assembly in Sherman Oaks Sept. 19.

A 1964 graduate of Notre Dame High, Mullen spoke to students, faculty and guests in a packed school gym following a prior meeting with dignitaries at Los Angeles City Hall. It was his first trip to the Notre Dame campus since his Oct. 1, 2007 appointment as Joint Chiefs chairman, the principal military advisor to the president.

"The world continues to change, change is the norm…You [students] live in a much more globalized world," said Mullen, recently returned from visiting government and military officials in Bulgaria, Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan.

Responding to a student's question about global "pressing dangers," Mullen identified the "broad Middle East, from Beirut to Tehran and everything in between" as "the most challenging and unstable part of the world right now."

The problems in the Middle East, as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he noted, "go back centuries, not decades…. When I go to any country, one of the things I try to do is to see their view through their eyes. We have a way in America of seeing it all through our eyes [thinking] we have the right solution, and that's just not the case. We've got to see it through their eyes."

Studies of history and geography, he noted, reveal the region is dominated by drought, tribal leaders and centuries of conflict. "When I go [to Pakistan,] I go there to have a relationship [with local military officials] to be able to address" the insurgency issue," Mullen explained.

"You have to be able to sit down with people, talk to people, have an understanding about their concerns, and what they're dealing with so you can get to a solution which is mutually acceptable, not singularly acceptable," said Mullen, to breakout applause.

When queried about his presidential choice in the upcoming election, he joked that he was voting for Pedro, a character in the film "Napoleon Dynamite" who is running for class president. Mullen pointed out that, as presidential military advisor, he serves whoever is elected as president. It is the military's job to carry out policy, not make it, he stressed. He also commented on the importance of a free press as "a cornerstone of our democracy."

At a press conference after the presentation, Mullen praised the students for their "pretty incredible questions" and "thirst" for knowledge about current affairs. He said the questions "were not about me, [but] about much bigger things," and added that students' ability to understand background and cultures all over the world will "be a mainstream requirement" in all aspects of life.

Answering a question about how his faith informs his work, Mullen said his Catholic education made a big difference in his life, specifically "the spirituality of it, the moral aspect of it. That has been a strong underpinning for me my whole life and it's been a great compass by which I can always be guided."

"I thought it was really inspiring how he shared all the information with us, and it really showed what the Notre Dame 'Educating Hearts and Minds' really meant," said Dena Nicola, Notre Dame senior.

"It's great to see that someone who came from the same place that I am right now accomplish so much," commented senior Chloe Looker.

"I thought the Admiral's talk was very empowering and he was very knowledgeable about almost any subject," said Cody Novak, senior.

"I very much enjoyed his views," said Alejandro Pulido, senior. "He's an objective advisor [who] has no partisan agenda. He's very much for peace. I left with high respect for him."