I had a fantastic article planned for Thanksgiving. It was going to be about how we love to complain about how the world is so messed up nowadays, and how people are so mean and dumb and shallow and lazy and trashy and high all the time, (cough cough “millennials” cough “kids these days” cough “get off my lawn” cough *shakes cane*). But the world is no worse than in the good ol’ days. In fact, by some major metrics, the world is better. And that improvement is steep. The global poverty rate has halved in the past 20 years.
In spite of fears of overpopulation, 200 million fewer people are starving than 25 years ago, an especially impressive statistic considering the global population has increased by 2 billion since 1990. Violence is on the decline as well, both in the U.S. and worldwide, which feels hard to believe considering current events. Young people in the U.S. are significantly less prone to substance abuse and teen pregnancy than previous generations. My point wasn’t that we should stop complaining, because things were substantially worse (otherwise known as the “don’t talk about racism because we’ve come a long way since slavery, black people” argument). I wanted to argue against the nihilistic worldview that the world just sucks, and people in general suck, and move towards critiquing naive idealists who try to dismiss things like sexual violence or ethnic cleansing because “human nature” precludes things from improving.
Last Friday, 129 people were killed and many more injured in six coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. If you’re like me, you were probably horrified, sickened, and shaken by all the innocent lives lost. You may also have been horrified by the bombings in Beirut, or Baghdad, which also caused much bloodshed, but got less attention because they happened in the Middle East. We’ve become accustomed to the notion that senseless violence happens there regularly.
But should we?
I remember the media frenzy around the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. I was horrified, sickened, and shaken. Fast-forward to 2015 and the Umpqua Community College shooting last month. It is with great sadness that I vividly recall the words that went through my head when I heard about that mass murder: “Oh, another one.”
When I realized just how resigned I’d gotten to the reality of mass shootings (of which there have been 1,000 since Newtown), I was deeply disturbed. I suspected that I wasn’t alone in my numbness, brought on by the frequency of which these acts of violence occured. Maybe numbness was the only response that seemed like a viable option? How else can you stay sane in a violent, chaotic world without becoming completely resigned?
The problem is that going numb is not right.
The idea of progress as a straight line that civilization marches through, is highly flawed. Some problems re-emerge, (like previously eliminated diseases running rampant due to the anti-vax movement), and some problems become worse and increase their frequency and destruction, (like mass shootings). What seems new is the way we respond to these acts of violence. Viewing the world as if nothing can be done to improve it is an excuse for apathy that is both uninformed and irresponsible. Claiming that you are logical or intelligent for, “seeing the world the way it is,” does not make you a visionary, it makes you indifferent. We can make the world a better place, and we know because we already have.
After the events in Paris, my Facebook wall was full of my friends filtering their profile pictures in blue, white, and red. Social media can help—#PorteOuverte hashtag is a perfect example—but there’s so much more you can do. It has never been easier to donate to charity (thanks Internet!). Make the choice every day to be a conscious citizen who works towards learning new things, and unlearning problematic attidues and behaviors. Get to the polls to vote! While I have defended my fellow millennials many times, I do think it’s sad that despite our pride in “self-expression” and “making our voices heard”, the 2014 midterm elections had the lowest youth turnout rate ever. If you tweeted #PrayforParis, but won’t click on this link to donate just $10 for crisis aid, or if you refuse to take the time to register to vote to potentially elect candidates that support the anti-terrorism effort, and want to help refugees who are in crisis, ask yourself “why not?” Are you expressing solidarity for the victims or for the hashtag?
I’m not in a position to lecture anyone. I can barely make sense of Google Maps, let alone the situation in the Middle East. I don’t want to be self-righteous. Really, I don’t. But I really don’t want our generation to be jaded, hopeless, cynical, or worst of all, passive in a world that demands us to take an active role.
I sincerely believe that, despite what the media would have us think, there really is a lot to be thankful for, and that hope is not yet dead.
Humanity has a chance. Please, give it that chance.