I know, I know. You've seen it before. The absolutely silly Odyssey articles that seem to be clickbait. The writer was struggling to meet deadline, and just typed up a bunch of words on something you may think to be pointless. I've done it before myself-- but I'm begging you to understand that the Odyssey Online is not full of just clickbait articles about cats and the dadbod.
Odyssey is a platform for those who may not have a voice to express themselves and to share their beliefs with the rest of the world that garners attention from those who may not be open to understanding.
Every time you read and Odyssey article, someone is letting you into their life. Some are more developed than others. Some you may not agree with –– but that's the point.
When I was in Berlin over this past spring break, I learned about the street art that "litters" the East side of the city. I always thought it was beautiful because I enjoy art and personally, seeing it doesn't bother me.
But I never thought deeper than that. That it was just decoration. That is not what street art is at all. Street art represents the stories and struggles of the people whose voices are not listened to. They manage to stop the underground train to tag their messages because they are trying to force people to listen, to understand... to try to understand.
Odyssey gives a voice to those who otherwise would not be listened to. Whether the article is about political beliefs, the death of a family member, missing your best friend or a GIF-centric list, someone is opening up to the world about their life.
In regards to how you feel about a particular view or story, you don't have to agree, you don't have to disagree... you could even be neutral. The point is starting a conversation.
So when you see an Odyssey article that may seem silly or uninteresting, or not what you believe, I implore you to click that link anyway –– because this world needs more empathy.