Humanity
It used to be a collective, a positive term for the human race. What separates us from animals is our moral obligation, our humanity, but now when I say humanity it is more sarcastic in the eye rolling kind of way. When did that change? Why did it change?
The Good ole’ days
When I was a kid, about 15-20 short years ago, I felt safe riding the bike down the street or going door to door selling Girl Scout cookies. I think my parents did too. I might be from a small town, but I hear similar stories from around the world. It wasn’t unusual for us to venture off down the street and play hide and go seek in the neighborhood. Was it because we were fearless kids? Of course we were, but I don’t think our fearlessness had anything to do with it. I think we really were just safer.
I remember a few times my parents pulled off to the side of the road to pick up hitchhikers without fear. There was never talk about making sure one of them had protection or back and forth about whether or not these people could be killers.
I knew, even then, there was chaos in the world. Murder rates and kidnapped children were news stories. Serial killers lurked and rapists were evil as they come, but why now are we more afraid? Why now are we not as safe?
I’ll be honest; I don’t feel safe anymore leaving the house without some type of protection. I consistently have dreams about active shooters. , I can’t even enjoy going out to watch a movie anymore. I am not a paranoid person normally. Actually, I’ve always had this I can kick anyone’s ass complex. Not anymore, though. When did we lose humanity? Are people becoming meaner? Have the Hell gates broken loose and this is a side effect? Or, are we just more aware and, as a result, becoming less trusting of human kind? People have lost touch with what it means to be humane. We have become desensitized by media, internet coverage of gruesome events and just lost our faith. Our loss is more global. I think there are really two main reasons for this world view change.
Fear-mongering in media coverage and mental health.
Is this loss of humanity engineered? Has it been created by fear mongering and 24/7 media coverage? Is it that we just see more of the bad? Something is screaming control by fear. Why is it we are always more drawn to negative news? People crave it. It becomes an obsession. Unfortunately, it also becomes an obsession for some facing mental health issues and desperately craving attention. Infamous is still has a bit of famous in it…
I’m a news watcher. Jared constantly tells me to stop, but I have a hard time pulling myself away. But, I at least feel I can cipher out the embellishments and lies. *Thank you years of school and intelligence courses. Maybe all this student loan debt wasn’t for nothing.* I have always been fascinated with the human condition and understanding why people do the things they do; I just won’t stop watching the news. It motivates me to make change. But, how do you cipher out the fake news?
Ciphering out the fake news
It is actually very simple. Just think like a spy. Be critical of every single thing you read. Does it make logical sense? What is the source? Go to the source. Are they reputable? Where are you reading the news? Pay attention to the facts and not everything in the middle. Is there a quote? Read the transcript. This might seem like some work, and it is. It is worth if you want accurate news.
In conclusion
There are several points you can pull from this:
Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t assume something is okay if it, or they, appear out of place.
Mental health isn’t a joke. If you don’t feel right about someone, reach out for help.
Please don’t believe everything you see, hear or read. Do some fact checking and use your brain.
Find your faith.
Most of all, fight for something better, folks. Be bold, be bright and, not to be cliché, be the change you want to see in the world.
This is what I fight for.
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