"World Peace.” The most stereotyped phrase pertaining to what a pageant girl wants most. If it wasn’t a pageant girl that popped into your head, it was most likely a diplomatic politician, and an unrealistic one at that. Now we have all scoffed at the ignorant pageant participant’s vague answer of “world peace.” Making fun of its universal applications to an infinite number of pageant questions is fully understandable. Yet, little do we all realize that the bright, uninformed faces from beauty pageants are not the only ones who have a lack of understanding and/or lack of wanting to understand what is going on in the world around them (as crazy of an idea as that seems). In fact, we all – no matter what our wealth, status, profession, or access to information – have a degree of ignorance that is quite astounding in size. And yet, we wonder why the world still has a massive amount of problems to overcome. Ironically, it seems that the idea of “World Peace” is not even close to being an option, and all because of the lack of empathy we have due to our abounding ignorance about happenings around the world.

The heart of this problem is ignorance, as it is the heart of most problems (if you think about it, most of our problems can somehow boil down to human ignorance). Now “ignorance” is a very broad and abstract subject that can, not only be applied to an endless amount of situations, but can stem from an endless amount as well. But I am talking about the ignorance of worldly issues: people tending to only car about their own affairs. This selfishness causes a huge lack of empathy towards the people around them.

Education about events currently happening around the world have helped, don’t get me wrong, yet access to it is scarce, practically infinitesimal, compared to the human population of the Earth. And very few of those who actually do have access to this kind of knowledge, act on this knowledge and have the empathy to be a catalyst for change in what they consider a wrongdoing.

This is a major problem throughout all of the world’s societies who do have the potential to change the world for the better and start to conquer our bigger problems. Anyone who has learned anything about the progression of history knows that advancing has come from innovation, and the innovation of anything comes from people who want change.

But if a person stays comfortable in their ignorance, they don’t understand how much better they can make their situation as well as the situations of the people around them. And how could they? With ignorance comes bliss, as the common saying goes, but is it a bliss we really want? Bliss in this context would just mean that ignorance causes us to be stuck being comfortable with the “OK” instead of knowing that we can work hard for the “Great,” though it would easily be considered the tougher path to take. It is easy for sheep to blindly follow their shepherd to their normal grazing spot, but humans are not sheep. And even though curiosity killed the cat, we are not cats. We have the capability to stray from the flock and find the greener grass on the other side of the hill. Yes, we may have to think for ourselves (heaven forbid), and go off on our own and test chance, but we can successfully innovate and better ourselves in this way. 

I mean, if you think about it, some of the best ideas came from people who took a chance and spent their time educating themselves about things around them - taking time out of their daily selfish ignorance that seems to take over human lives and be curious enough to apply their knowledge and test it.  From solid, tangible works like the light bulb to social/worldly or even political ideas like revolting against monarchies or dictators to make a voice for people and forming Democracy.

These ideas seem natural now because, well, they are. But back when they were being fabricated, they were crazy, and went against the norm for once. Because someone actually decided to educate himself or herself and take action, applying their knowledge in a way no one was brave enough to attempt before. Now we have light and freedom – two of the most important objects, especially to us Americans, yet we still can’t seem to understand the importance and benefits of education and action.

Because the truth is, even if you bothered to pick up this article and read it, (which would already put you ahead of the curve) the knowledge that you may have had the opportunity to gain from it, will most likely not be acted on, because gosh darn it the couch that your sitting on is just way to comfortable to leave behind at the moment.