In this new era, a new generation has given rise to a new culture; or, rather, this culture has been rising with a new force in every recent day. This culture is the culture of selfishness, one that does not often discriminate. Its language consists of the phrases “not my problem,” “someone else can do it,” “owe me,” “so what,” “and?,” “whatever,” “waste of my time,” “what’s in it for me?” and more. Words like “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry” are obsolete, and are nothing but a rare treat. Everyday, people act and talk insensitively, but demand sensitivity towards themselves; they talk poorly about others, but then proceed to complain about how “poor” their lives are. Selfishness is another pandemic that may prove to be even worse than the COVID-19, but the lack of empathy prevalent is neglected much more than mask-wearing and vaccination.

Perplexingly, as the world faces more troublesome issues, the population becomes increasingly desensitized. Also, everyone is hyper-focused on their own personal comfort, rather than sacrificing it for someone’s life. The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of this, with many refusing to wear masks and get vaccinated due to them being “uncomfortable” or their unreasonable association with politics. Many all over the world have died and are dying due to this negligence, but because of a lack of empathy people refuse to think of others and their wellbeing. Bella Saucedo (11) says, “our current generation shows a lack of empathy, especially due to the COVID-19 quarantine,” but “if we’d take a moment to understand where an individual is coming from and listen to what they have to say, the amount of empathy we have may improve.” The young people of today especially suffer from a deficiency of empathy, most likely due to the greater amount of privileges and opportunities provided to those like the majority of students at YLHS.

In conclusion, though there is an extreme shortage of empathy when it is needed most today, it is not completely impossible to change this. If society works together and every individual puts more effort into and retains empathy in understanding others’ situations and actions, the world can change for the better. Little actions can make big ripples, whether they are actions like talking to someone who is lonely or volunteering for a good cause. The right path is available to the world, and that path is the path of empathy.