The Opposite of Good Isn't Evil...

Today we learned a lot about diseases. Specifically focusing on HIV/AIDS, we discussed how it is spread, how it is prevented, and how it is treated around the world. Numerous individuals also asked about the pertinence of other evils such as tuberculosis, cancer, and malaria. These were all obviously excellent questions, since TB kills about 2 million people every year, malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds, and cancer will 1.5 million people this year just in America.

But even these are not the most lethal "evils". There is a disease that infects masses of populations, a disease which we see the symptoms of every day and which causes more suffering, pain and death than any other.

Unfortunately, sad, dirty kittens are not the biggest victims of apathy.

Despite the climbing death tolls, rising number of rape victims, and countless souls sold into human trafficking, none of these topics make the news. Despite the natural disasters wreaking havoc around the world, as long as they're not near U.S. soil, few people know, and even fewer care. Despite the lessons learned, the morals seen, and the "never again"s uttered, here we stand, denying the truth to uphold a more softly tinted vision of our global society.

"So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed, with all their tragic effects, that too little is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect." - Eleanor Roosevelt

All human institutions are only as powerful as their creators, designers, and leaders. Man-made concepts such as societies and governments and public policy are therefore just as flawed as the politicians and innovators and revolutionaries who conceptualized and instituted the practices.
Accepting this as truth, I propose that the biggest issue facing world politics right now, facing any politics any time, are those who control and influence it. I would also propose that the biggest issue facing the individuals with power is the infective apathy washing through the world.

The opposite of good isn't evil. It's apathy.

• http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/indonesia
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm
• http://www.humantrafficking.org/links/83
• http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/international_justice/darfur/about/background.asp
• http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/index
• http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.newtbdrugs.org/2010/06/the-war-on-tuberculosis-dots-in-newark/
• http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enUS359US359&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=tuberculosis+victim+count
• http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enUS359US359&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=tuberculosis+victim+count