Serena Mao
In our hectic teenage lives, we are often wrapped in homework, extracurriculars and the like, running on a metaphorical treadmill that’s never turned off. We become so obsessed with the little details––what homework is due tomorrow? What email am I supposed to write? When do I set my alarm?––that we never really find the time to read the news, or listen to the daily broadcasts on the radio. Crucially however, missing out on these bits of information about the world can cause us to miss out on a widespread array of knowledge and ideas.
Daily life at school is a bubble we immerse ourselves in, ignorant of the events happening beyond us. When we listen to the news, or read a few recent articles, we get a taste of the events that happen once we are released from the 12 years of routine. New developments happen in multiple categories every day––business, technology, national politics, and world events. And while we work to pump out worksheet after worksheet, our knowledge of these events is close to nonexistent, effectively blocking ourselves out from a whole facet of society that is arguably more important than the part we choose to focus on.
Even more problematic, however, is the moral crises that happen on the daily in the real world. A quick glance at the news for a few days exposes the sexism, racism, violence etc apparent in the world. From school shootings to immigration policy, there are many real world issues that need to be solved. They are heated issues that have tangible impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people. Students need to be aware of these issues and realize that there is much more going on in the world than what they are often told to emphasize––things like tests or after school activities. Increasingly educating people about these issues could also motivate teens to take a stand against problematic actions or discourse and finally accomplish goals past the shallow objective of getting into a good college.
Overall, there are loads of world events and issues occurring around us that teenagers absorbed in their own activities often ignore. It’s important for them to take a step back from their own endeavors to take in the bigger picture rather than burying themselves in an inaccurate microcosm of what they perceive is the world around them.
