Many of us remember the Pink Floyd line, "comfortably numb." Well, it seems to be a pandemic that deserves attention. If you look at most social media in the U.S., the most popular and commented upon posts are about cute animals, sports stars, the Kardashians, funny videos, political bashings, etc.
All well and good to perhaps relieve anxiety, but when it comes to real issues, only the few seem to take any notice. Climate disasters, recessions, the poor, homeless, the hungry, education (or the lack thereof), beheadings, mass deaths (of people and and animals), and more are reserved to a minority.
If you recall history, which many don't, the U.S. has periods of isolationism, an overt attempt to stay out of the affairs of other nations. In most cases, this got us in trouble-"No man (nation) is an island. We all share the same planet, air, water, economies. And, while the U.S. has not been particularly isolationist of late, it's people are, at least mentally. There is a if we ignore it it will go away. Yes, what you focus on you attract, but what you ignore can bite you in the butt. Being informed and calling for actions to address major concerns does not mean dwell on the negative; it means to replace the negative with a positive.
In this day and age, can we really afford to be "comfortably numb?"
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