To Love the World

Don't Stand By

So many people in this world allow themselves to just stand by and do nothing. Whether it be watching someone get bullied in the hallway or allowing their friends to make bad decisions. They are content to let other people live their lives, as long as they don't compromise anything in theirs. When did society start telling children to just worry about themselves? Why don't neighbors look out for neighbors anymore?

So many people know that our society is a corrupted by greed and the endless pursuit of self interest, but they do nothing to make it better. Countless parents sit and watch the news, worrying about how their children could possibly grow up in a world like this. They do nothing to prepare them though. They sit in their safe homes and raise their children. They don't teach their children how to make good decisions because they never believe that they will need to. They let their children become part of the corrupt world outside their door.

Schools teach these children to become part of the bigger picture: to melt in with everyone else. They say "express yourself" but then punish those who challenge the rules. They make teens who skip school miss more school. This doesn't make them better parts of society. It makes them the next criminals, the next ruffians, the next druggies. School, the place where we all hope to see the next generation of doctors, teachers, and leaders, promotes the low-lives of society. The place where parents drop off their little babies in a hope that they will be nurtured and cared for only sucks the life out of them. It brings them into a world that wants to crush them.

So don't let the world crush you. Show it that people still care about others: that people can think about someone other than themselves.  Smile at the cashier as they give you your groceries. Thank the bus driver as you get to your stop. Let the kid that always sits alone know that he is always welcome with you. You never know what the rest of the world is going through. A simple "hello" might save someone's life.

And if just one person can be saved, society doesn't win. It doesn't destroy everyone's hopes, dreams, and goals. It becomes a part of us, a better part, and we don't become a slave to it.