WE LIVED IN A SOCIETY
By Keenan W.
Landscape of Mardin by berkay08
Created in Canva
If you’ve watched the sitcom Seinfeld then you’d know that one of George Costanza’s favorite phrases to yell out when it comes to human indecency and inconsideration is, “YOU KNOW, WE’RE LIVING IN A SOCIETY!!!”
In Sudan, at least three million children under the age of five are malnourished. Children in Sudan have stopped growing because malnutrition is so severe and over half of the three million children are expected to die from starvation. Sudan is in a complete crisis, with a lack of food and water, a rise in food prices increasing, and conflict caused by a military coup wreaking havoc (Al Jazeera).
In Somalia, they’re facing the worst famine that they’ve had in half a century. A child in Somalia is admitted to a hospital every minute because of malnutrition and dehydration. Somalia is set to reach IPC Phase 5 (the IPC Acute Food Insecurity classification provides differentiation between different levels of severity of acute food insecurity, classifying units of analysis in five distinct phases: (1) Minimal/None, (2) Stressed, (3) Crisis, (4) Emergency, (5) Catastrophe/Famine (IPC)) within the next couple of weeks (Al Jazeera).
In Ukraine, as the Navigator has touched upon before in this article, a giant war with thousands of deaths, and more on the line, is still continuing. Update on Afghanistan: the Taliban are still murdering people (ABC News). In Iran, people are tortured and killed as they protest for civil rights (CNN). These are just a few of the hundreds and thousands of things happening in the world right now.
WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY
Though, how many of us truly know that any of this is going on? Most of us are probably oblivious to half of the things going on on our planet. Now you might say, “The news is too brutal! I don’t want to hear about that!” Or perhaps you have read and seen the things that are going on in our world. Perhaps you’ve felt an outcry, “This isn’t right. This is inhumane. Thus is unjust!” and perhaps you’ve felt compelled to share your beliefs with others, though you were met with, “Stop looking at the news! It’s bad for you! Focus on your own life and everything on your own plate!”
Sometimes people have the same belief as that that is portrayed in Cloud With A Chance of Meatballs, “The Outtasighter was an invention that Flint created to toss the leftovers from Swallow Falls ‘out of sight, and therefore out of mind.’" In reality, all the tossed food accumulated in a mountain of leftovers aptly named "Mount Leftovers," which is held back from the town from a "presumably indestructible" dam (Wiki). Well, here’s a newsflash, the “indestructible” dam is going to break over your head at some point.
WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY
Though the news can cause unrest and yes it can be biased, the essence of knowing and caring about what’s going on and happening with other people, things, and situations is a crucial part of society and human nature. The longer we turn a blind eye, the more we’re going to ruin. Ignorance is bliss until the world is burning down and you knew nothing about it. Yes, oftentimes there’s not much action we can take to help others living on other continents. But, perhaps when we look away from folly and selfishness we’re able to truly see a way to help others besides ourselves. Perhaps it is the first step of knowing about another’s troubles that leads to kindness, actions, and care. Not just in the big wide world out there, but in your community, too. If the only thing you can do is know, then know and pray for those in trouble.
We don’t want things to end in, “We lived in a society.”
This is a call to arms. Don’t be brainwashed. Stay objectively informed and know what’s going on in your world. Even if you can’t help a child in Somalia right this moment by giving him your lunch, knowing and learning about his troubles is better than not knowing. Know that you live in a society, you are part of a community. You are an intricate part. Show kindness and care to those around you and far from you. Human decency and consideration are not beneath us. You can make a change. You are the change.
We live in a society, you know.
Columns: 🔎Informational
Keenan W. is in 12th Grade and has been with NSA since 2019. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her family after moving from South Africa. Keenan plays both the piano and the mandolin. She is also an avid reader, loves music, and enjoys watching 2000s movies. Some of her interests include psychology, criminal justice, international relations, business, leadership, and politics. She hopes to help and serve others through whatever her career may be.