Emails fill our inboxes, notifications buzz our phones and the television flashes with cold, alarming and inhumane news stories. It is a repetitive occurrence, yet nothing has changed. People have lost their compassion for one another.
Instead of collectively doing something about the unsafe state of our world, the news is simply shared among others and everyone seems to think this is doing enough. Raising awareness is helpful, but it is not equivalent to fixing the problem.
Outcomes don’t change if our behavior doesn’t change. The behavioral change we need is to start caring for others around us in an action-based way.
How we go about a situation and where we are left standing after awareness is raised is the true testimony to how much we value our neighbors, ourselves and the environment we choose to live in. We need to do more than acknowledging a situation. Change comes from action, not stagnation, after bringing attention to an issue.
When another breaking news story crosses our paths, people’s reactions tend to revolve around feelings of unsurprise and familiarity. While the news weighs heavily for a moment, we are quick to carry on with our days. “It’s just another … .” Fill in the blank. It’s the common response and a constant loophole we are all stuck in.
Fixing the problem doesn’t happen right away. Change comes with conscious decisions and impactful actions.
Although online resources are available and social media platforms have support accounts, such as Mental Health America on Instagram, there is a clear difference between visiting a website and talking with someone you trust face-to-face.
It is our responsibility to look out for the people around us. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have forgotten caring for others is part of being a family member, friend, neighbor, peer and citizen.
An important aspect of being a member of society is our ability to empathize and walk alongside others. We are meant to be each others’ support systems. It is something we should take pride in, not shy away from.
Oftentimes, people walk by with their eyes glued to the floor, almost afraid to look at others. We make simple, everyday interactions feel disconnected and awkward. If we struggle to acknowledge the people standing beside us, it becomes much harder to step up when those same people need our help.
People keep their problems to themselves when they feel like no one around them cares or is willing to listen. Be someone others can depend on so more stories don’t go untold.
There would be a positive switch in society if we stopped only sharing information and started doing something about it. The starting point is looking beyond ourselves and showing up for the people around us.
Reassuring your peers you empathize with them is one large step in the right direction.
If our actions reflected our words and we made looking out for others a priority, the world might start to become a safer place again.
In a time when everyone keeps to themselves, reach out to the people around you. When the next heartbreaking story fills your feed, don’t let sharing it be the end of your response.
Be the person who listens. Be the person who cares enough to act. Be the person you want others to be for you.
Aleni Bender is a junior studying organizational communication at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Aleni about her column? Email her at ab285023@ohio.edu
