Some days I don't know if the world has always been like this or if we've suddenly lost our minds.
This year we have witnessed unimaginable disasters of every kind. From police brutality to mass shootings, every day the news reports another horror. We barely have enough time to wrap our minds around one tragedy before another one occurs, so it's no surprise that our society is in a state of whiplash. Every day a new martyr is born, or a new villain rises. Nothing changes but the names.
I don't think there's a single person who isn't tired of the way our world is. Even the most optimistic of us can't deny that right now there's more hatred in the world than love. It's no wonder that people are ignoring the news because they can't handle the anger anymore. As if feeling the emotional turmoil each new disaster brings wasn't enough, we also have to navigate through the swarm of posts that follow. We have to try to understand our own opinions while listening to everyone else's, and trying to keep up with the facts while listening to what your heart says can be stressful.
Trying to remain objective while seeing hundreds of angry Facebook posts is hard, even if you've already chosen one side of the debate. Because of this many refuse to become involved at all. They have resorted to not caring about the state of the world for fear that if they do they'll be overwhelmed not only by grief or anger but also by the stream of opinions posted on social media.
While that's understandable, I don't think it's always right. Refusing to acknowledge the wrongdoings of society closes our eyes to the possibility of changing it. Saying "That sucks for them, but it wasn't me so I won't do anything about it just prolongs the suffering; the hatred won't end until we make it end. If we don't stand up for others, then we are turning our backs to them.
It isn't just about ignoring anger or stress anymore; it's about ignoring people. It's choosing to look away as others are mistreated so that we can stay comfortable. It's knowing others are hurting but staying impartial so that we aren't inconvenienced. That's what we're doing as a society when we don't care. We condemn our own.
As much as I support activism on social media, it's going to take more than tweeting about an issue. It's going to take discussion, movement, and above all, concern. We need to care about one another. If we don't, things won't get better.
Nothing will change unless we do. As Elie Wiesel once stated, "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim."
