If you've been on Facebook, turned on a TV, or so much as existed in society in the past two weeks, you know that the San Francisco 49er's quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, decided to protest the American flag and national anthem by sitting. This event has sparked a whirlwind of media controversy, with the opinions of the public split right down the middle.

BUT, what if I told you there were more important things than the personal decisions of a football player? What if I told you that things like Colin Kaepernick and all of these absolutely ridiculous stories that are being shoved at us are all just distractions from things that are happening that we should actually be paying attention to?

Now look, I'm not saying the mass media is bad. And, I'm certainly not saying that his choice to sit isn't something to pay attention to. It is important. It starts conversations we need to have about everything from BLM to the First Amendment. Personally, I agree he has the right to sit, but I disagree with his decision to sit. However, it's as if there is only room for one sensationalized story. It's as if the media can only push one or two viral topics at one time. In a world where so much is going on that has the potential to affect our everyday lives, you would think as much attention would be paid to those things is paid to a pro athlete's choice to sit out the anthem.

Without further ado, here's some stuff that happened in the past few weeks you may have missed.

1. Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee have declared states of emergency after pipeline spill, which was one of THREE oil spills in the past week or so.

The Colonia Pipeline runs gasoline from Houston, Texas to New York. According to CNN, the pipeline provides gasoline to about 50 million people, and has spilled about 250 thousand gallons since the Sept. 9 leak in Shelby County, Alabama. This event, which has caused the line to be shut off, will likely effect gas prices and availability. While gas prices typically drop during the roll-out of the winter blend of fuel, many are seeing an equal, if not greater, increase. Not to mention, the effect this could potentially have on wildlife.

Shell also had a pipeline in Texas leak, was repaired, and started leaking again, spilling roughly 30,000 of gallons of crude oil into a shipping channel that leads to the Gulf of Mexico.

Also, Exxon had a spill in a suburb of Little Rock, Arkansas. That spill was an estimated 19,000 barrels.

Three oil spills. One month. And so many people had no idea until it recently became a problem for consumers at the pumps.

2. Apparently, Russia has been hacking into all kinds of US databases.

According to theSkimm (my fave morning email news blast), the head of the National Security Agency has voiced some concerns about Russia. Specifically, the concern that Russia is trying to interfere with the presidential election. Two recent cyber attacks on voter databases in two states have been traced back to Russia, with the potential of more states being affected. These cyber attacks come after groups believed to be tied to Russia hacked the Democratic Party. Russian hackers have also leaked medical information regarding recent Olympic athletes, specifically Simone Biles and Serena Williams, along with allegations that while they were given the okay to compete, they might of had a leg up in the games. The truth of these allegations is obviously questionable. Why there isn't more outrage over this is beside me. Our elections is compromised (not that they are honest to begin with) by outside interference.

TLDR: Russia is basically hacking our election and massively hurting our credibility.

3. President Obama agrees to send military aid to Israel.

More specifically, 38 billion bucks worth of help. In a story I also discovered on theSkimm, Obama and the Israeli Prime Minister agree on this huge sum, which is the largest military aid in history. We've historically been cool with Israel, even during their long and drawn out conflicts with their neighboring countries. However, our recent nuclear deal with Iran made things complicated between the US and Israel. This deal is a bit of a shock, especially coming so close to the end of Obama's presidency, a president who hasn't had a history of providing much support to Israel. Politics aside, this is a gigantic gift that is incredibly controversial. Some think this is great, providing help to a country that has always been an ally in the Middle East. Others are more weary, thinking it is time to cut ties with Israel and hoping Obama would be the one to do it. Either side of the fence, 38 billion is a big number considering our federal debt of upwards of 19 trillion.

Let's close this up. I am not saying that we don't need to care about Colin Kaepernick, like I said above. The point I hope you all take home is this:

There is SO much more going on in our country and our world than what comes across our newsfeed or is shared by certain large news organizations. There are things happening every single day that will affect our lives that are not once shared on social media. So, while we are sitting back acting as social justice warriors behind a keyboard arguing over our right to position our body during the pledge, there are other stories that get swept under the rug that equally deserve the concern and attention.

All I am saying is open your eyes. Pay attention to the world around you. Fact check the stories you share. Be an active citizen in local, state, and federal issues. Don't let social media and the ease of smart phone mask the reality of the world we are living in.