Forum Post: Just a little pep talk

In light of the past few days (I'm from Portland, which was shut down on Sunday), I felt the need to give myself a pep talk. Though I'd share it with those who needed one too.

It’s easy not to care. We like being oblivious, living inside our own, safe little bubbles. We claim we’re adventurous and informed, but when it comes down to it we would rather create our own realities than realize the true one. In our little self-contained worlds that are catered to our own views and opinions we feel content and happy and strong. And who could blame a person for wanting that? True heroes are those who are brave enough to pop that bubble; People who catch a glimpse of reality and don’t turn a blind eye; People who care enough in their hearts to realize that by creating these alternate worlds for ourselves we are increasingly disconnected from the world around us; People who sacrifice personal contentment for a greater good. We try to shut these people down. We don’t like them endangering our own fantasies by trying to show us the world outside. We see them running about in the real world, and we fear it. They’re labeled as “crazy,” “pessimists,” and “troublemakers,” and we dismiss them because we don’t want to consider that maybe they’re right. Caring is the hardest thing in the world to do. Most people notice reality from time to time from inside the safety of their bubbles, but to care enough to reach out and pop that bubble with the knowledge that they will never get it back is possibly the hardest decision a person can make. The worlds we have created for ourselves are fragile, and once gone they’re impossible to restore. People who have chosen to see the world as it is will see it that way for the rest of their lives, and it destroys some. Seeing what a mess we’ve made through unfiltered eyes can be devastating, which is why it’s hard to blame those still happily encased in their own, safe worlds. But we need more heroes. We need people who will put aside fear in order to force the world to progress; People who are so passionate about something that they are willing to stand up for it, even if the act of standing breaks them out of that safe world they’ve always known; People who are willing to take action and make changes at any cost. By educating the next generation, we can give them the tools to change the world. But why should we have to pass on a defective earth when we are all perfectly capable of changing it ourselves? Our children should not have the burden of fixing our problems just because we were too afraid of change. Everyone has a hero in them. They catch glimpses outside their bubbles from time to time, and in their hearts they know the real world needs them. So let that hero out.