In today’s New York Times newsfeed, unlike other days, the main story was about the Met Gala fashion statements by celebrities. I got sucked into it. It was oddly refreshing to browse through the extravagant gowns donned by artificial beauties. This is very unlike me. I don’t care about celebrities or fashion generally.
I cringe every morning now to read the news. It is sad and depressing to read about the wars and catastrophes around the world, student protests, elections and theatrical court trials in the US. There are atrocities in every corner of the world. So the boring pictures of the Met Gala felt like eating ice cream after you have dental surgery.
What has happened to us? Where are we going?
The whole world was on the brink of collapse merely 4 years ago. All of us were scared for our lives when Covid hit. We felt helpless and hopeless. We were able to pull through it with the help of science and technology and the tremendous work of people on the front line. I sincerely thought at that time that this experience would change us for the better. We will realize the importance of sticking together, working together, empathizing with each other and achieving greater good by keeping aside our differences.
What we are witnessing now is exactly the opposite. We are polarized, divided, and at each other’s throats (not literally) with a slight hint of discomfort. We have the least tolerance for opposing views and opinions. We are angered and offended easily and lash out at anyone who is not in our camp. We have forgotten the Golden Rule - treat others as you want to be treated. We take pride in holding on to misinformation and spreading it rather than checking the facts. We are afraid to admit our mistakes. There is no more civil discussion or giving each other grace. We have to be right at all times.
I believe that most people just want to live their life. The majority of the population wants to earn enough to feed their families, send children to school, do their jobs, and gather with friends and family. We want a safe, smooth, and simple life.
It seems like only a small percentage of the population is driving the news these days. These people are deliberately creating misinformation and catastrophic situations to feed their egos or save their position of power. Millions of common people get in the crossfire. Their lives are devastated and scattered. Thousands of children are facing atrocities, hunger, death, and a lifetime of physical and mental scars and handicaps. There are dire existential crises for people in many parts of this world. In other parts, there is an increased percentage of people experiencing mental health issues every day.
What are we doing? Where is this going and when is it going to end?
Can we all do our part in not supporting misinformation, acts of violence, dictatorships, and inhumane treatment of any humans? Can we be kinder and gentler when we interact with each other and agree to disagree?
Let’s work on building and maintaining connections rather than breaking them.
We, the people, still have the power to bring change. We need to know it and use it wisely.
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