IGNORANCE: People Only See What They Want to See

We live in a world where social media rules over our daily routine. From the moment we wake up to the moment we lay our heads on our pillows at night, we are constantly checking Facebook and other social media platforms to see what our friends are up to. We live in an isolated bubble where only the things we can see exist in our lives. What about what happens in our community? What about the events that happen in other countries around the world?

I admit, I'm not a huge fan of reading the newspaper or watching the nightly news. I think social media platforms have served a great purpose in not only allowing us to communicate with our loved ones behind an electronic screen, but they also provide us with the news conveniently as we scroll down our news feeds. I learned about the 300 or so Nigerian girls who were abducted last month and this month and am in awe of the movement it started, from First Lady Michelle Obama to dozens of celebrities that we all recognize and love.

As much as we are consumed in our own little worlds and follow the latest fashion trends or celebrity news, we need to open our eyes and pay attention to what's happening around us, too. Our lives and the people in it are important, but don't shut out the outside world and be ignorant of the real world issues at hand. It's so sad to see some people completely block out the fact that this horrid, ongoing issue is happening and not want to hear or talk about it. We should all be taking a stand, coming together, and supporting these communities and countries because we are not immune or exempt from this. Human trafficking is just one form of modern-day slavery; human trafficking exists in the United States. #BringBackOurGirls is the latest movement that is inciting people to take pictures with this hashtag to raise awareness and push governments to act fast before these poor girls are subjected to unconsented marriages before they are ready. Please join me in this movement: you can take a picture of yourself holding up a sign with either #BringBackOurGirls or #RealMenDon'tBuyGirls and upload it onto your social media accounts and type out these hashtags as well!