There is a lot that goes on this world.

Whether that is deemed a good or a bad thing, I will leave completely up to the reader. I am assuming, however, that you, the reader, are probably taking that statement as a bad thing. Now the more you think about it, you may or may not question your own state of mind. Why on earth would you assume such a pessimistic viewpoint? Why do we, as a society, always fear for the absolute worst? The answer is actually really simple; It’s what we have been taught. No, I am not referring to our parents and teachers (even if it is true to an extent), what I am actually referring to is the media. Social networks, “news” channels such as CNN and FOX, magazines, all of that stuff. These sources of information, tend to show us everything that is wrong with the world, both directly and indirectly. By showing us problems in the middle east with ISIS and with the multitude of shootings that happen right in our front yard, it’s pretty obvious the world has some problems. Now, when we give these shootings and terroristic disputes only 10 minutes of TV time and spend 3-4 hours talking about twitter arguments between presidential candidates and the color of a piece of clothing (the dress), it becomes obvious the country has problems. Unfortunately, what would appear transparent to some is completely invisible to most. This alone begins to highlight why my generation fears for the future.

You can continue to deny this if you would like. You can guide fingers away from giant factories and engulf your life in “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” (or whatever that show is called,) you can ignore whatever liquid remains from what use to be beautiful beach water as you decide it’s just too much effort to pick up that aluminum can you dropped in the sand on your way out from the picnic. The thing is, it gets to a point where there is simply no more ignoring it. As human beings, we rely on the environment to keep us alive. Whether that be the air produced from trees, or healthy soil to plant fruit and vegetables. It also comes to a point where there is no denying that we are destroying the world around us. It may have been easier to get away with so many years ago, when the world was in better shape and we all thought cigarettes were actually good for you. It’s hard to tell, now that everyone knows better, if we choose to ignore it, or if we still actually don’t fully understand what is happening to our planet. If you don’t believe the planet has taken for a turn for the worse, did you know that China is now selling filtered air to its inhabitants, due to smog and what they are now classifying as a “airpocalypse”? Everyone fears for the end of the world, but not acknowledging the easiest things to avoid could be our downfall.

It goes without saying our world is full to the brim with violence. Unlike protecting the planet, violence is very much unavoidable. No matter what is said and done, somebody out there will always use war-like approach and retaliation. Just this week, every day on the news (for what little time was given) we were informed of shootings on UCLA’s campus, An airport in Dallas, and many other places. The issue isn’t the fact that violence exists, but that its growing. While a definitive answer as to why violence is increasing at such an alarming rate may not be available, there are always theories. Could it be possible that people are just fed up and tired of what they see the world coming to, and in turn are using that to fuel their anger and add to the fire? Or could it also be possible that this violence has always been this bad, and the news is deciding to shed an extra couple minutes on it every day so the whole world can see? Whether these theories are true or not actually doesn’t really matter. The big problem is, even if we knew why, stopping it may prove to be nearly impossible.

It may seem hypocritical, considering you are reading this from the internet, but how often have you been on your computer, or used your phone today? Most people, including myself, are probably too scared or embarrassed to admit the timeframe, let alone even think about it. Social networking is almost a contradiction in and of itself, as there is almost nothing “social” about it. We use our technology and allow it to distract ourselves from the people around us, the people we claim to be connected with. Stop and think about it, how many of your Facebook friends, your twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr followers do you actually know? Again, it may be something most really don’t want to think about. Many of the older generation look down on our generation, not because of having technology, but how we use it. Technology is actually a very beautiful thing. We, as a society, just have a terrible job of making it look that way.

Notice how not once, throughout this whole article, I didn’t blame any individual group of people? No specific generations, or race, or religion, or country? That’s simply because we are all to blame. If you are adding to the world’s problems, stop. If you aren’t doing anything, be the difference you so desperately want to see in the world. If you are making differences, influence other people to do the same. This world is broken, and damaged, and lost. We are one human race, and we need to work together and save the one thing that exemplifies our beauty; The world around us. It really only takes one person. The question is, will that one person be you?

“Only one race exists. We are all called mankind.” - Entrain