There are so many cliche sayings we hear people state often, like “it doesn’t impact me” or “nothing I can do about it.” They bury their heads so far into the sand then they’re shocked when reality hits, usually followed by the words, “I had no idea.” But you did – you just didn’t want to be bothered.
There are also people who have a lot to say, spewing off strong opinions with conviction, making them sound like truth when what they’re saying couldn’t be any further from it. If you toss a stat or a fact their way, they look at you, dumbfounded, at a complete loss for words – or rallying to recover in an attempt to formulate what they hope will be a somewhat intelligent response.
Ironically it’s those who don’t pay attention to what’s happening around them and those who don’t do their research who seem to say the most – yet know the least. They say it doesn’t impact them – until it does. They say there is nothing they can do about it – then scream louder than anyone when things don’t go their way.
It seems today, many choose to be ignorant. They choose to escape real life and I get it – real life today can be depressing and difficult, but ignoring it won’t make it go away.
We’ve become a society of big mouths and small minds. We don’t educate ourselves, we allow performers and athletes who’ve achieved stardom to influence us in areas that deserve much more respect – religion, politics, and life. We fight for our rights, yet forget about our own personal responsibilities. And we’re downright mean and ugly – what happened to civility? Manners? Mutual respect, no matter what our difference in opinion?
We talk at each other, not with. We listen to react or ridicule, not seek to understand. We’ve made a hobby of criticizing, demeaning, and competing with others, not working together to elevate ourselves to a place where we all win.
We can do better. We can be better. But what’s really off, is that we don’t seem to want to be. We enjoy being cocky, rude, and mean. We like the laughs we get and the drama we create. We say we don’t like or want that – but here you have it. That’s life today.
We have a choice and we can rise above. We could all think before we speak. We could all be more patient, more compassionate, or more kind. We could all listen more. We could process, rather than react. We could actually be present, engage, and learn.
Or we can remain ignorant. It’s our choice.
