There's More Going On In The World Than Just The War In Ukraine.
A discussion on the crisis addiction of the general public and the narrowing standards of perceived news-worthiness.
The Russo-Ukrainian War is still a hot topic in our news cycles.
This conflict is disturbing and pertinent, but are we in danger of spending too much time discussing it?
Are we narrowing our human interest horizons to only those subjects screaming the loudest for our attention?
In August 2021, the world watched the Afghanistan crisis with bated breath, hoping and praying for a miraculous averting of the Taliban takeover.
But the Taliban did reclaim Afghanistan, and after an initial outcry against the violation of Afghans' human rights, the West moved on and the Afghans' plight faded from Western society’s consciousness.
The next crisis was the seemingly imminent invasion of Taiwan in late 2021; once again, for a brief moment, keyboard warriors focussed their fiery rhetoric on moralising the China-Taiwan tensions.
Yet predictably, the invasion was not imminent enough to retain the attention of the social media moralisers — and so Taiwan also faded into the abyss of forgotten crises.
Next on the scene of world news was Ukraine.
Once again, social media activists provided a running commentary on events and political intentions (factual and fictitious), people added Ukrainian flags to their Facebook profile pictures, some Russians protested against the war, and some Ukrainians blamed extensive US involvement; yet the tensions still continue.
Rife with controversies and misinformation, the Russo-Ukrainian War is almost impossible to fully understand; however, one thing we do know is that it is only one of many violent, complex, and disturbing conflicts occurring in our world.
Each of these foreign-affairs situations reveals the shameful reality that Western society races to show trivialized support for those in a crisis, only to just as quickly abandon the cause once it is no longer a trending hot topic.
We are making pitiful use of the privileges and opportunities afforded us as members of Western society if a few impassioned tweets are all the assistance we can offer to victims of human rights abuses.
When did you last think about the plight of Afghan women living under the iron-handed rule of the Taliban?
Have you considered how Taiwanese children live each day unsure of whether the Communist Chinese regime will eventually conquer their country?
What about those living under military rule in Myanmar, trying to survive amid assassinations, political unrest, and guerilla warfare?
Cubans are facing further crackdowns on their rights, and 28 protestors (including three children) are facing the death penalty in Iran.
According to the UN Chronicle, an estimated 25,000 people fall victim to starvation and starvation-related causes daily (including 10,000 child fatalities).
These examples reveal heinous human rights crises occurring today, and the list only gets darker the longer you research.
The loss of life in Ukraine and Russia (regardless of the intricacies and blame-shifting) is unquestionably an unacceptable tragedy; however, humanity tends to over-focus on one pertinent issue and neglect the thousands of other crucial but perhaps less glaringly-obvious human rights issues worldwide.
Therefore, education is key to enacting change.
If we want to create a freer, safer, and more equal world, we have to first recognise the countless multi-layered human rights issues we face, and then use education and mass media to raise awareness and thus create change.
Remember that there are extensive but under-reported international causes that deserve our attention just as much as those squeezed into a limited news cycle.
Kickstart the tidal wave of change by first educating yourself.
The next time you click on an article on the latest bombing or border incursion in Ukraine, pause for a moment and consider finding an article on a less-familiar topic: research the state of bride trafficking in China, or educate yourself on the horrific reality of modern-day child sacrifice rituals in Uganda, or explore the urgent need for increased protection for people with albinism in Malawi.
Then, after you have had a broader look at the diverse and extensive issues in our world, feel free to check up again on the state of tensions between Ukraine and Russia. However, before passing judgement, ensure you have sought a nuanced understanding of the history and issues that brought the Russo-Ukrainian conflict to a head, rather than relying simply on the view that is shouted the most loudly.
Let's not allow only the breaking news section to determine our interest in international affairs.
When we refuse to control the narratives we invest our time in, we risk losing our individuality and ability to create lasting change.
When we read only clickbait-driven articles, we get a warped and patchy overview of current affairs, and yet are somehow given a false sense of meaningful participation in the creation of modern history.
Thus the chain of passionate inaction continues unbroken, as each breaking story writes another chapter in the world history we were too busy reading about to have any time to change.