You against the world

The importance of being an empathetic person by not following the common ideals of caring more about one's own first-world problems versus actual worldwide tragedies. 

By Stephanie Isarraraz

   What is more important: knowledge of and activism towards solving issues that are life-threatening to people in another part of the world, or being upset about the fact that your wants exceed your needs?  Many people would say that solving a social issue is most important because many of us know that it is in fact important, and yet so many people seem to care more about the fact that another person was talking badly about them or the fact that they couldn’t obtain a very upscale item. In fact, how many students were aware that Donald Trump refused to speak about the tragedy that occurred in Charlottesville last weekend? Not many students were aware of this; instead, they seem to have cared about whatever went wrong during their week or weekend.
   This is an issue that we can no longer ignore. We can no longer just sit around and continue to avoid learning about the true problems occurring in the world. We need to teach ourselves, our siblings, and everyone around us that what we didn't or couldn't get and the small events we couldn't avoid from happening are not truly the end of the world, but instead events like the 2016 Orlando Nightclub shooting or the 2017 White Nationalist rally are the events that should be treated like it's the end of the world.
​   Social Justice Humanitas Academy students many times pride themselves for being empathetic and aware of the tragic situations that occur in the world, but that's simply no longer enough. We need to teach, encourage, and motivate the rest of society to be humane and courageous. We need to take a stand for what we know is right in the world and by doing so, others will stand with us. Society needs to start trying to make more of a change because by continuously allowing ourselves to care more about the little problems, we become more and more self-centered. The world can't and won't benefit by us worrying about the next iPhone or who’s gossiping about whom or missing the chance to buy concert tickets. Society will not grow and succeed if we continue to allow ourselves and each other to ignore what's truly going wrong all around us. So let's take a stand and make a change.