RISE, A Modern Guide for the Purpose Driven Woman Spring 2014 | Page 9
millennials
written by Grace McLain
My generation is very aware that there are some
serious problems in the world. We remember
9/11, we’ve endlessly heard about the recession,
the economy, how difficult it is to get a job. We
have grown up surrounded by awareness campaigns, and are fully aware of huge spectrum of
issues that affect our world right now like human
trafficking, climate change, severe poverty, women’s rights, cancer, etc. But after years of hearing
about these problems without hearing about
real change, and years of frustration at political
inefficiency and corruption, sometimes it’s all too
easy to just throw our hands up, say “oh well”, and
continue on with our lives.
This is incredibly dangerous. As Elie Wiezel said,
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s
indifference”. My generation truly has the poten-
tial to change the world, but I think we are all too
affected by apathy.
post on facebook, make a donation, swearing not
rest until [problem] is solved. Then, the excitement dies down, the problem still persists, and
sometimes corruption is discovered in the organization that they donated to and disillusionment
and indifference set in. I understand the cynical
nature of this view, but I think this issue, like any
global problem, has a solution. We do not need
to throw our hands in the air and give up! I have
made the personal decision to devote my career to
addressing healthcare issues, but I know it is possible to care and affect change within any lifestyle.
While the information can get overwhelming, it
is important not to shut it off, to stop watching
documentaries, or paying attention to what we
hear about online. The problems are huge, yes.
The problems become a lot smaller, however,
when you remember the individuals. Sure, rescuing one woman from a life of trafficking is not
going to alter the statistics. But will it change that
woman’s life?
We are so bombarded by information about the dearth of problems that we become numb and
desensitized to suffering that can, honestly, seem far away and irrelevant to our day-to-day
I have seen countless friends go through the
process of becoming sincerely passionate about
an issue after seeing a talk, taking an international trip, or watching a documentary. There is
no shortage of means to learning about issues.
These friends then join the awareness campaign,
This isn’t a problem exclusive to my generation,
but it is something I see so often with my friends.
We are told over and over again that we can
change the world, so let’s ditch the apathy and do
it!