What is the greatest problem confronting us today? 

This might be the most exhausting and exhausted question of the 21st century. It pervades political debates and collegiate seminars, tabloid magazines and gratuitously profound elementary school recitals. It is impossible to measure superlatives of such a grand scale or to form a metric by which we can determine the absolute first priority on the infinite laundry list of world repair.

It is unethical to compare the casualties of war to the deaths caused by famine, crime or poverty. It is equally unconscionable to subordinate systemic racism to institutionalized sexism, or to prioritize climate change above educational disparity or housing inequality. 

And yet, in an environment of instant gratification and finite consumer engagement, all of these issues are vying for the top spot on our feeds, daily news debriefs and live interactions. Every moment, we are called upon to decide what takes absolute precedence. 

Pressing issues are spun into hyperbolic headlines, with every problem preceded by the words “most,” “worst” or “least,” if not modified by the adjective, “unprecedented.” Often, they possess some convergence of all of these descriptors. 

Given this exaggeratedly pessimistic culture, it is no wonder that we live in an overwhelming state wherein everything is everywhere and the worst it could be, all at once. The constant bombardment of crisis and catastrophe has made us numb to our reality. 

If everything is somehow the worst, at what point is it all meaningless?

My hopeful answer is, never. We cannot allow this ceaseless barrage to weaken our resolve. 

I began this article by asking you to reflect on the greatest problem confronting us today. I chose my words carefully. While “greatest” may be defined as the largest or the most substantial in size and scope, “greatest” also means the best —  in this case, the best problem to have because inspiring people one at a time is far more feasible than fixing the entire planet and all of its shortcomings.

The greatest problem facing our world is not mass hunger or poverty. It is not climate change or racism or prejudice or war or terrorism. It is one, six letter word, more influential and leveling than all of these factors combined. It possesses profound destructive power, but its remedy could fundamentally change the trajectory of our world.

Apathy.

How many times have you felt motivated to make a change, to make a statement or join a movement or channel your conviction into something constructive, something that generates change? How many times has somebody killed your excitement by asking, “But do you think that will actually do anything?” 

Apathy is the reason why every “worst” has made little progress toward “better.” 

We base our decisions on what we should do, all too often disregarding what we could do. We choose jobs based on the salaries we think we should be earning, not the issues we feel a drive to resolve. We add our names to petitions only when everyone else does. In an age of instant gratification caused by social media, we don’t tolerate slow progress because we do not believe change is possible unless it is instantaneous and grand. 

Belief is the first step toward affecting change, whether that be in the form of combating global warming, starting a small business or writing a new YDN article. We must lead with the understanding that beyond the arbitrary demographic barriers we impose, we all bleed red. Belief is a necessary prerequisite for improvement and positive change. It drives us to become the best versions of ourselves and create an environment that reflects such; contrastingly, apathy stagnates progress and fosters unbelief in our collective and individual power.

Imagine a world in which all of us cared about something. Imagine what we could achieve if our personal convictions were supported rather than dismissed and classified as “unfeasible” or “a waste of time” or “unrealistic.” 

Staggering urgency dominates our world. Ten thousand sources will tell you that the world is ending, and even more concerningly, they will all identify a different culprit. It is unfathomable and unsustainable to live in a state of constant technological and physical doom-scrolling. 

Rather than overwhelm yourself with the world’s problems to the point of apathy and stagnation, I urge you to do something. Start that company. Join that group. Write that book. Find a cause or a movement or an idea that excites you, and learn about it. Care about it. Encourage others to do the same, and if they don’t, use that as further fuel for your ambition. Above all, speak — not because somebody tells you that you should, but because you can and because your voice and lifetime are precious. I will not ask you to compromise your health and sanity caring about every single problem, minute and major, micro and macro, that affects all who draw breath on this planet.

I simply ask that you care about one thing: caring.

MIA GORLICK is a first year in Pierson College. She can be reached at mia.gorlick@yale.edu.