The Malaysian Airlines Flight Tragedy

            The shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and the death of approximately 298 people should be more than a “wake-up call” for many. As conflicts begin, the news seems to take an interest and then abandon the story as soon as something new comes along. This was true of conflict in Eastern Ukraine as the media abandoned the story and many Americans seemed unwilling to even care about events across the sea.

            The vehement political and geopolitical isolation that most Americans practice is not only horribly terrifying (for us as a democracy), but also allows further escalation of conflicts. As pro-Russian separatists have been waging a deadly fight against the Ukrainian government, they have targeted more than just military targets. This massive destruction of life is only a more exacerbated instance of this disregard for human life.

            But this is not anything new. In conflicts around the world (Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, across Central Africa, and now in the Ukraine), war leads to the death of innocent civilians. And yet Americans find themselves in the precarious position of caring little about what happens. More would be more concerned about the new episode of “Two Broke Girls” than about the conflict in Ukraine. Even after this tragedy, most will return to thinking the world has not changed.

            The opposite of this feeling is the vehement and irrational desire for vengeance when this happens to Americans. If the plane had been a Delta Flight out of the United States, people would be protesting for the United States to send troops. Some would even suggest declaring war on Russia as it backs the rebels with weapons and funds. But this feeling is even more dangerous than the ignorance as it feeds into war and violence like oil gasoline into a fire pit.

            If anything should be learned from this tragedy, it is that war causes death, destruction, and horrors. Our natural desire should be for wars to end, no matter who they involve and where they are. We must find a balance between the ignorance that now overwhelms us and will reveal itself in the near future (one week or so) and our desire to police the world.