Does knowing that there's a problem mean that you have to do something about it?? This seems to be a prevailing theme that occurs in society lately... this feeling of guilt for things that you don't know about. It's slightly annoying.

I think that it's very possible to be socially "aware" but not take action about it. things make people respond in different ways. some people say "oh, i want to change this" but some people say "oh, there's nothing i could do" and other people would say "oh, i like it that way" and on and on. just because one is aware of an issue doesn't mean that one has to be affected by it.

For example... i know that there are poor sick people in Africa who could probably use help. but am i going to join the peace corps and go and help them? no. am i even going to go out of my way to help these people that i know are sick and poor? probably not. yes, i can sympathize with the situation and even feel bad about it, but for all purposes, they exist no more to me than characters in a book. the millions of people dying of AIDS in Africa probably don't know that i exist and, for all i know, they could not even exist. it would never affect me, or them, either way.

which brings up an interesting question: do you help people just because you see them, or because you know that they need it?

i don't think there's "right" answer to the question, but i know how i react... because i see them, and even then only part of the time.

but does that make me a bad person? do i, or anybody else, deserve to be condemned because i am not actively helping a cause that i am fully aware of and even sympathize with? i don't think so. who has the right to judge me, to say whether i'm good or not? certainly not an activist who feels bad about the situation.

YES, things may be bad, but i, or anybody else, have no responsiblity to do anything about it. so people like me shouldn't be given any shit for choosing to do nothing.

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