Humans are essentially good people. There I made a statement. This statement is based upon the fact that most humans are capable of love. We love our parents, our children, our siblings, our friends and our animals. We let people go in front of us if they have a few items in the supermarket and tip when eating out at restaurants. Most people are good people.
This being said I am concerned by how narrow-minded our love is. We feel the need to protect only ‘me and mine’. When the Rotherham Sex Abuse scandal hit the headlines people were up in arms because these were our children. It was a local plight. No thought however is given to the schoolgirls still missing kidnapped by Boko Haram or the thousands of women and female held captive by IS. These attacks on humans are in other countries to people we don’t know and probably will never know. What happened in Rotherham should never have happened and my thoughts are with the victims but our thoughts should also go further a field.
The Western culture appears to really approve of this one minded viewpoint. So long as we are fine then we don’t mind what is going on in other countries. The problem with this is that to enact change it often requires a united front.
These set of values can be seen throughout our society. The glass ceiling feminists fighting for better representation in boardrooms and government sometimes forget that they are usually already middle class and well-connected. Sometimes to plight of the single working mother is unheard and forgotten as she struggles to make ends meet.
It scares me how much people use almost tunnel vision to approach subjects which does have real impact on our economy and maybe even our safety. There is a very real concern that the current crisis in Ukraine could escalate. Maybe we will begin to listen and take note when the first gun is fired.
But it doesn’t even always apply for situations in other countries. Several times a year there are slaughterhouses that are “uncovered” for treating their animals cruelly despite the fact that the animal is about to have its life taken for food. Recently I was talking to someone about eggs. I made the statement I only buy free range eggs. This person couldn’t understand why I would as they were more expensive. Without being “that person” I pointed out that free range eggs were more ethical. Unfortunately in this particular conversation cheap won over ethics, at least in that persons food trolley. It was the age old argument that I always hear, “it isn’t my problem”.
The world around us is moving and changing at an alarming rate and there are many forces greater than the one individual and his/her families. The reason for this is because globalisation means that everything matters. The low price of oil hurts the oil makers but pleases the travelling salesman.
There is a cause and reaction to most things in this world wide economy and we should no longer bury our heads in the sand. Even if no action is taken surely being versed in the goings on around the world couldn’t hurt?
