Where We Are.

Summary

The article reflects on a world where societal and environmental issues are rampant, and the government's inaction has become normalized.

Abstract

The author, Pranay Palvadi, paints a picture of an ideal world without judgment, financial transactions for affection, fear of sharing personal issues, and distrust in officials, contrasting it with the current reality. The piece highlights the distressing state of society where violence and environmental crises are commonplace, and the government's silence is accepted as part of life's terms. It touches on the collective trauma of living in constant fear of violence, the tragedy of parents outliving their children due to gun violence, and the environmental degradation that manifests in natural disasters. The author expresses a deep concern for the numbness that has settled over society in the face of overwhelming grief and the need to confront the issues that have been ignored.

Opinions

The author believes that the current state of society, with its violence and environmental issues, is unacceptable and undeserved.
There is a sense of betrayal and disappointment in the government's silence and lack of action in the face of societal problems.
The article suggests that people should not have to live in fear of violence, particularly in public spaces and schools.
The author expresses empathy for parents who have lost children and for those who live in fear due to societal issues.
There is a strong opinion that environmental damage is a critical issue, with the earth crying out through natural disasters like

We can’t live like this

By Pranay Palvadi

Imagine a world where nobody judged you.

Imagine a world where you didn’t have to pay people to love you —

A place where no one was scared to share their issues

A place where you could trust every official.

It has come to a point where our government’s silence and oblivion is a part of life’s terms and conditions.

Listen I’m not trying to complain but — What if I was?

I don’t think we deserve to walk on streets drenched in blood.

We don’t deserve to see red and blue lights and our first instinct is to run.

We don’t deserve to have children in school worry about guns

It breaks my heart to think about all the parents that have had to outlive their young.

The grieving mothers that live in fear and can only wait for that day to come.

I hate that when we breathe we have smog fill our lungs.

Our earth is hurting, so it cries with every flood,

It screams with every earthquake and it bleeds with every fire that we can’t outrun.

Every moment of silence accumulates more issues that we can’t overcome.

Lately, we’ve been so overwhelmed by grief that we’ve started to feel numb,

So when we take a step back we can’t even fathom what we have become.