Recently, I have observed a shocking amount of apathy toward current political issues and humanitarian crises. Pew Research Center gathers data that says in 2022 only 38% of American adults always and actively keep up with the news. Many people have no reason or incentive to follow the news most of the time
People are becoming less likely to speak up due to being hyper-exposed to the news through social media, giving them a feeling that these issues are bigger than them. The digital age mixed with this sense of learned helplessness normalizes a sense of apathy and desensitization, creating societal and cultural problems of inhumane repression and silencing what needs to be corrected. More needs to be done to combat this apathy and desensitization others have for the out-group, the outcasts, the exploited and the oppressed communities they come from.
The American and global economies are built on exploitation. It was (and still is) inhumane. And yet people refuse to let themselves be too bothered by this.
It’s understandable why; the external facet of current news being beyond us and something that we cannot change reinforces learned helplessness.
The question then becomes “How can we combat people’s learned helplessness and apathy?” What follows may seem counter-intuitive at first but will make sense further into the article.
The first step could be to take care of yourself and focus on healing the emotional wounds. This is an incredibly important, reoccurring and infinite process that should be practiced for the entirety of our lives, but it’s easy to minimize mental health. This will lead to empathy for yourself, others and by proxy the entire world.
Appreciating creations made by humans and nature as well as the stories behind them can reinforce the value of life. They can also teach us about how the world works and thinks, promoting empathy.
Still, it is only possible to have empathy for others when people have an appreciation of what life means to them personally so that they can take the proverbial walk in other people’s shoes. Not everybody is going to appreciate the nuances of human life, but it’s important to make the necessary change instead of being complacent.
Let’s propose another question: what can we do about these unethical local, national and global conundrums we find ourselves in and how can we fight back against oppressive forces and systems? That’s a difficult question to answer, but the first step is to not let this knowledge go to waste.
We have to talk about what requires change in the world, and our thoughts and ideas for improving it. Advocacy can lead to positive change and using your vessel as a harbinger for that change is essential. These aren’t just certain people we’re opposing; we are opposing systems and ideologies that have been cemented in the status quo for our entire lives.
It’s impossible to truly sugarcoat reality without warping it into a fictional idea. Instead of living in a delusion, pursuing the sobering truth can mobilize us and help us to realize the worth of human life.
People are not alone in their struggles. The internet may distance us to the extent of dehumanizing and depersonalizing people, but it’s when we look at the bigger picture that one can see similarities across the map. The first step is valuing and reclaiming humanity for everyone, especially the oppressed in the Global South who are often cast aside and forgotten. How this showcase of humanity may be perceived will depend on the individual. That’s what makes life so beautiful despite the tainting by exploiters. We can’t let them take people’s humanity and make them to be soulless, apathetic machines.