Reflection: Class Discussion

Who should assume blame for wars? Some of my classmates said that the responsibility lies with the leaders in charge, while I along with others thought that it is a community's burden. As we discussed this, I was struck with the thought, "Can a person be at fault if they were not aware of what they are doing?" Conversely, "Who should make the effort to stop a war or genocide?" Are we not each partially responsible for not actively pursuing a way to to end the killings? When we talked about this, Mariah said that the level of concern for the genocide in Darfur is the same as it would if the same thing were occurring close to home, that the only difference was her capacity for helping the situation. Personally, I disagree because I think we each enjoy seeing the effects of our actions...(thank you society and our need for instant gratification) and it is is this that hinders our involvement. It is the fact that it is much more difficult to engage and fight for what one believes in when you feel like you have made no difference that stops up. There are lots of ways we can make a difference, but its hard to stay committed when we don't see the direct effects. For example, when "danger is imminent," we see the need to make changes and are in a position to see how our actions support others. Otherwise, when we are removed from the situation, the critical need for change seems less important. However, it still remains. I ask myself and my peers then, shouldn't we all be doing something about say Darfur? Hmm? Lets not lie to ourselves, there is a great amount of things we could be doing. We can start by simply spreading the word.