150+ innocents dead in Gaza, 250+ dead in a plane crash allegedly brought down by pro-Russian rebel forces or Ukranians...and this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is the world we live in. A place where the lives of innocents don't matter and the technology that helps us make our lives better is used in the most unfathomably brutal ways. Everytime I open the awesome app that gives me updates on news from all over the world, I shudder in disbelief as gruesome photos and headlines light up my screen. But for what? Why all this fighting and why all this death? Isn't life complicated enough to deal with? Boyfriend troubles, not being able to find a job or save up enough for a car, don't these troubles keep everyone preoccupied enough?
Yes, the juxtaposition of these issues is grotesque. But such is life today. We sit in our air-conditioned homes, flipping through the news on our tablets, getting disturbed momentarily and posting a new status on facebook about how this world is such a horrible place to live in, and within the next five minutes we are back to worrying about what to cook for dinner or how to save up enough to buy that new unnecessary gadget that just came out in the market.
But what can we do sitting so far away from all of this? And it's true. There is probably not much that we can do being so far removed from that world which we see through the portal of our computer screens and the internet. But what we can do is remember, reflect and pay happiness forward. We can find happiness, leave the anger behind... volunteer at a local organization to help collect aid for the victims of such events, go to that public demonstration against violence against women, sign petitions to support free journalism...and so many more small seemingly trivial things that may not stop the wars or the deaths, but it will help us to remember and more than anything it will help us to appreciate those things that we take for granted - the ability to smell fresh flowers, the ability to play freely on the beach, the ability to laugh and have a good time with our friends and families, and the ability to smile, laugh and live!
Yes, the juxtaposition of these issues is grotesque. But such is life today. We sit in our air-conditioned homes, flipping through the news on our tablets, getting disturbed momentarily and posting a new status on facebook about how this world is such a horrible place to live in, and within the next five minutes we are back to worrying about what to cook for dinner or how to save up enough to buy that new unnecessary gadget that just came out in the market.
But what can we do sitting so far away from all of this? And it's true. There is probably not much that we can do being so far removed from that world which we see through the portal of our computer screens and the internet. But what we can do is remember, reflect and pay happiness forward. We can find happiness, leave the anger behind... volunteer at a local organization to help collect aid for the victims of such events, go to that public demonstration against violence against women, sign petitions to support free journalism...and so many more small seemingly trivial things that may not stop the wars or the deaths, but it will help us to remember and more than anything it will help us to appreciate those things that we take for granted - the ability to smell fresh flowers, the ability to play freely on the beach, the ability to laugh and have a good time with our friends and families, and the ability to smile, laugh and live!
3 comments:
If you are aware of the world history, you'll realize that it is the war and struggle that's at the very root of this "great human civilization". We would not have progressed this far if there is no conflict and everybody lived a fairy-tale-like life. Wake up and kiss the reality. Amen!
I am sorry but conflict and struggle at this or any scale cannot be justified in the name of 'progress'. That it has existed is undoubtable, but that it needs to keep happening so that the human civilization keeps moving forward, is a grotesque thought. Also, nowhere in the post do I mention that everybody should live a fairy-tale life. I am sorry that you could not detect the sarcasm running throughout the post.
Well said, u have a kind soul. Unfortunately, We are trained to be selfish, a lot of people think like you do, including me, but it is very little they actually do to help. Maybe one day I can act on my shame and actually make a difference to someone's life.
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