It feels like it was so long ago that all of us sat in a tiny chair, maybe nine years old, listening to a teacher lecture us about the term “respect.” Everyone has a right to respect and to be respected, but now it seems we’re without it entirely. Without respect, how is one expected to be anything but dissatisfied with the world? Society is growing meaner and without the heart to realize it. 

In a 2023 Vox interview, author David Brooks argues that Americans lack “moral education.” This notion stems from the fact that the United States is finding itself more divided than ever. Compassion seems to be missing from our day-to-day lives. We have to remember that compassion isn’t something that we inherit — it’s something to be learned. 

There is a problem in today’s society, and it’s not as simple as stating that society is becoming meaner — we must find a fix to this problem and interrogate why it became this way. There are different variations to the reason society has turned to moral apathy: some theories lean toward indifference, while others represent a total imposition of spite and anger. When someone bumps into you on the street, it’s not usually with malintent, but perhaps displays their disregard for others’ space. 

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Moral apathy is a lack of response to constant suffering. As a society, we are indeed becoming meaner — not because human beings inherently hate but because we have learned to hate. Maybe this lack of respect isn’t as bad as it seems, but sooner or later, it will get worse. 

As society becomes more hateful, people who are filled with resentment have the opportunity to infiltrate spaces that are weak in their sense of moral direction. Right now, some politicians are preying on the morally weak minds of society to carry out their harmful ideas. When hearts filled with animosity spill their hate into those who are longing for something more, the world moves alongside hatred. 

It’s true — we are unhappy, and we see it everywhere. Faces remain dull; hands have gone unshaken, nonexistent smiles, strangers unknown. We are so closed off that it feels better to sacrifice our own fulfillment than to give the time of day to our peers or to show others equal humanity, which may directly relate to the increasing numbers of depression in Generation Z. A Cigna survey from 2020 finds that 73% of 18 to 22-year-olds suffer from loneliness. 

The environment humans have created for ourselves is intolerable and every one of us feels it, whether we realize it or not. Alongside this, it can seem difficult to be nice or to show any vulnerability because there is a possibility it can either be used against you or simply abused. With the lack of compassion in the world comes the fear of being ostracized for showing genuine care for those around you. 

Don’t be mistaken, our distrust and skepticism are not without reason. We live in a world where we live under constant pressure and scrutiny to move through the world in a “perfect” manner. Nonetheless, society — with all its graces and all its faults — is complex. It is made up of unimaginable amounts of thought, and with the collective efforts of many, the least we can do is give due consideration to those around us who make the dull moments of daily life pleasurable.

Although we’ve grown bitter, we can always adjust ourselves to welcome and care for the niceties of life. Suffering is a universal experience, and with recognition of that, we can empathize with the world. There is always a possibility that someone is looking for a smile or a conversation just as much as you are. Indifference only holds us back from realizing the goodness that can be found within others and even ourselves.