I'm doing a Sociology assignment where our professor asked us to share our thoughts on the recent Arizona shooting and specifically if we thought it was the individuals fault, or society as a whole and why. Well, after thinking about it... this is what came out of my brain, onto my fingertips, and into the computer! Enjoy, and please post comments if you have any on the topic!
Normally neighbors, close friends, and even family are interviewed post a shooting ( or whatever the incident may be for other situations), and everyone seems to be shocked that the guilty party could do such a crime against humanity.
This really got me thinking about how much of a self absorbed society we are. Who really knows their neighbors anymore? With privacy fences, busy schedules, and simple lack of care, we can live for years feet away from a complete stranger that you have only, at best, given an occasional passing friendly wave to. More often than not I observe people walking down the sidewalk with ear buds in, listening to their Ipods with eyes glued to the ground. Nobody wants to lift their head while passing, smile, and say Hello anymore. Even being on an elevator with a stranger these days is awkward and small talk is quick and shallow.
I wonder how many situations like this we could prevent in our society today if we took those precious moments to get involved in our neighbors lives, look up and be friendly to passing strangers, and do our best to show someone that we don't know on an intimate level sincere kindness. Unfortunately, myself included in this statement, we are all too busy and especially focused on Me, Myself, and I.
Perhaps this twenty two year old kid was in a world of hurt for who knows how long, but nobody stopped long enough to even notice him, care for him, or try to understand/help (all of which I could possibly be completely wrong about). He is responsible for his actions, but I also think our society has a long way to go in regard to being a helpful, healthy environment for one another.
I couldn't agree more. All the common courtesies of society are gone. I miss the days where an oncoming car would flash his/her headlights to warn of a cop hiding around the corner. I miss how it still is (thankfully) in small towns where, if for some reason you DON'T know everyone in the town, you still wave and smile to them in passing. How about the days when people would actually let you merge into a lane. It's the little things in life that really mold the direction our society is heading in. Well put Nikki.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail right on the head. Especially since being newly separated, too often do I hear advice about 'focusing on yourself.' What good does it do anyone if we only focus on ourselves? Personally, I don't even think we have the capability of reaching our full potential by ourselves.
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