Are we really political? No, seriously, I beg you, taking a moment, stopping and thinking. Under the cry of discourse and the din you listen to online, ask yourself what you really believe. After all, do you have a set of beliefs that will set you back?
I am not immune to the ever-changing landscape of online political discourse. I fully know that most of the news I consume comes to me from biased sources. The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal… I know these outlets suffer serious political bends even on their best days.
Consuming modern news is to stay vigilant. But do you remember how many of us scrutinize the information poured into a mug along with our morning coffee?
Social media is much worse when major news outlets are bad. It’s very easy to get lost in one idea, one cause, because the endless rabbit holes and algorithms are designed to suck us in.
How can you be so involved? We claim that we are invested in other people’s lives, but in reality, I think we are becoming more and more self-centered as the years go by. For the majority of Generation Z, activity and engagement have become nothing more than a hot new trend.
In the wake of the 2020 George Floyd murder, I saw people flood the streets and turn the photos on my Instagram profile one by one, from cheesy selfies to small black circles decorated with the words “blm.”
And so much so that Floyd disappeared in the past, I saw those little black circles disappear like dark ashes scattered in the breeze.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, creepy similarities were washed away in the digital sector. The GoFundMe page seeking assistance to Ukrainian family, friends and strangers killed my timeline, but as the war intensified, those petitions grew little.
Again, the same story unfolded during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.
Often we throw away politics with the same carelessness as clothes that mess up our closets. It’s irritating.
Even if the issue of the spotlight has passed their prime or they feel they no longer have an impact on you, that doesn’t mean they’re not related to anyone yet. So many people are facing the impact of policy.
Sometimes it’s not even a matter of awareness. Sometimes the people are fully aware of what is happening, and the consequences it brings, and simply decide to stop the fight. “What is the point?” They – the ambiguous general public – I might say it. “There’s nothing we can do.”
Now, let me keep you a little secret. There is always something we can do. It may sound stupid and lame, but the easiest thing you can do is to care.
I’m not asking you to keep up with everything that’s happening in the world all the time. That’s not possible! But finding the problem you actually have a sincere passionate attitude will keep it quickly, no matter how small or small it is, despite everything else traveling at a whirlwind pace around you making a difference in the world.
Politics is not a passing phase. It’s a constantly changing landscape, and it could bite us and spit us out from the other side if we allow it. It’s all you can do to keep fighting.
Even if everyone else tells us to move on to a new, shiny political trend, we must continue to burn our passion. Resolutely remaining in the face of change is perhaps the most powerful weapon of all.
