This will be my last ?column of the semester.
I thought I would end with a somewhat alarming, somewhat conspiratorial thought I have on the state of our world.
There is no doubt that this year has been ?eventful.
To name just a few: We have seen the creation or attempted creation of a radical terrorist state in the Middle East; the discussion of sexual assault has rightly been placed more prominently in the sphere of public view; and there is undoubted racial tension within the United States and a corresponding civil rights energy.
Our beloved, or formerly beloved, Bill Cosby is front and center a mile deep in rape accusations; Ukraine essentially dissolved as a nation overnight only to be reborn and pit Putin’s Russia against the West; our very own University has dealt with the loss of life; and scandal after scandal has plagued almost every area of public life. It sadly goes on and on.
There are those who say things are worse than they have ever been.
They preach a nostalgia for “better times” that is understandably tempting and alluring. They certainly do not lack evidence, at least for the problems of this current age.
I am not sure if things are actually worse, and in fact I doubt it is even possible to know such a thing.
But I do know ?something.
I do know that even if the unrest, for lack of a better word, is the same as it has been, how we perceive it seems to be quite different.
We appear to forget and to miss the person behind the events.
For example, when we are confronted with someone who has done something horrible, we immediately jump to analyze and dissect the web of causations that entangle us all.
We look for the psychological answers, the socioeconomic reasons, the perpetrator’s emotional state and his family life.
These are all good things and they tell us plenty about some of the factors that influence people, but they don’t tell the whole picture. Sadly, and I firmly believe this, people sometimes simply do what is wrong.
People are imperfect — they make mistakes. And sadly, sometimes those mistakes are awful.
Sometimes they hurt people, and they hurt society — they have no excuse and they have little reason for what they do, but they still do it.
As pessimistic as that sounds, I truly think coming to terms with this harsh reality is the only way to combat it.
My hope — it may be a fool’s hope — is that this upcoming New Year will be different and we will make progress in alleviating some of the problems we are faced with.
But I believe this is only possible if we stop trying to explain and start trying to heal — if we stop looking for all the reasons and start looking for the ?person.
cgerst@indiana.edu
