As most people are aware, the level of global tragedies seems to be growing by the double. Every day I turn on my tablet for the daily dose of horrific stories that involve hate crimes, inequality, massacres, and much more happening all around the world. It really makes me reluctant to open Twitter to see what tragedies I have to be conscious of, but I feel that it’s my responsibility. It’s our collective duty as students of PCJ to know and understand what’s going on around the world.

I’ve come to realize that my peers, most people and I seem to have three common reactions to the daily dose of tragedy.

First, apathy gets the best of us. This is not to say that people don’t care; it’s just that they are bombarded by news like this on the daily. I’m starting to think that having access to all this visual storytelling can lead to a feeling of great numbness towards human suffering. I cannot feel the pain of a grieving mother in Pakistan, or the suffering a Syrian refugee faces from miles away with a screen between us (it’s not so much the screen as it is the distance). In this increasingly connected world, I have never felt more disconnected. But I know it’s not that people don’t care. It’s that we’ve become conditioned to these stories and images; we’ve reached a point where we can’t understand how real these tragedies are. Everything seems distant and out of focus, because there is so much of everything and so little time to understand the reality of it all.

The second reaction, I call momentary grief. As I scroll down a Twitter feed and see the death toll of recently bombed place, I feel sick. In that one moment, I feel as though I can almost comprehend the absolute enormity of the event (although I never really can). But the next thing I do after I realize how bad this story is making me feel, I swipe away the news. I know I’m a student of conflict, but pain is horrible; why should I subject myself to it when I can avoid it through a swipe? I know I am a human being part of this global community, but why should I suffer over someone else’s suffering? This is all too much for just a student who studies these issues, and what can I really do? If I was being completely honest, this is how I (and many others) feel most days when I open up the news.

The thing is, we can choose whether to swipe these images away or do something about these things that affect us. Take a moment to reflect on the images that you see and try to understand them for what they are. I’m not saying become so engrossed in the tragedies of the world that you become cynical or broken. I’m trying to suggest that if we take a moment to reflect on the problems we see, trace them back to where they come from (this involves research) then maybe we can do something about it. I know this is hard, but hear me out.

The last reaction I want to talk about is action. This is a really rare reaction because people are busy and people don’t want to feel the suffering of another if they can avoid it. Even despite these grim realities, I see people take a stand and I see people take action. When the Peshawar Massacre occurred, I saw hundreds of Pakistanis mobilize for vigils in just Toronto alone. The ongoing crisis in Syria may be impossible to fully understand in all its enormity, but I see people fundraising, protesting and coming to together as community to take action for Syrian Refugees. This is the type of person that I want to be.

It’s easy to be cynical; it is so easy to look at the news and be overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of people in our world. It is easy to decide that you cannot do anything for anyone, and that nothing you even do would actually make a difference. But I think this is where we lose hope, when someone who can do even one thing to help someone else chooses to give up. I think that’s when we truly become part of a hopeless world.

I know it’s easy for me to type these words on keyboard at home, and it means something completely different to act on these words. However, I do think that it’s possible and something that we can all work on. You know that horrible unexplainable feeling you get in your gut when you swipe away the suffering? There is a remedy for that feeling. That remedy is taking action in any way you can.

Also let me add, I don’t think that as students or Canadians in taking action we are being particularly charitable. This calls for action to myself and to others around me is a purely selfish act. I want to be rid of that awful feeling in my heart; I don’t want to feel hopeless and angry every time I open up the daily news. I want to be the person who does something about it, even if it just means attending a vigil or donating a couple dollars. Even if it’s as simple as taking a moment to acknowledge the reality of the images and stories I consume, trying to internalize them and make them real. Because I think it’s only then, we’ll all want to take it a step further by deciding to run that toy drive or that letter writing campaign. The argument I often see floating around is: don’t get carried away with emotion... but why not? As PCJ students, we might get lost in our world of conflict theories but when did we become people who are only concerned with profit or cold, calculated decision making? When did we stop letting out emotions, our heart, guide us into doing the things that matter most to human beings? We were not made for apathy; we were made to work together and stand by each other. Of course you must research, study and learn before taking action but your emotions should make you want to do these things.

So the question you and I are left to ponder, as students who study conflict and global affairs, is what can we do? How can I stop myself from being becoming numb to horrific events that I see daily? To be honest, I have no idea at all. But what I know for sure is that I no longer want to be part of the majority; I do not want to be apathetic and do not want to indulge in a passing moment of grief either. I want to do something concrete to try and heal that ache I feel. Because if you’re not going to care, and I’m not going to care, then what’s the point? I think it’s easy to sit back and criticize people for acting upon emotions and dismissing their hope and work as idealistic fluff. But among the many things I’ve learned as a PCJ student, the most important is that I have no time for inactive naysayers; I’m too busy changing the world.