Is my state of nonage self-imposed? Am I too cowardly to ask questions, inquire, and seek enlightenment? The tools for gaining knowledge exist in multiple forms; newspapers, magazines, articles, and the internet are all easily accessible and have abundant information on this topic. Perhaps growing up in a relatively stable Canadian culture creates unawareness; are individuals too self-absorbed to notice issues that do not directly impact their lives? Does one wait to become informed until international conflict or human rights issues personally affect them? Often when an individual is unsettled and experiencing conflict in their immediate life, the individual has difficulty showing concern for society; it is much easier to become absorbed in one’s own situation and, therefore, forget about others. In particular, this is difficult for the growing and maturing, younger generation. An adolescent’s search for identity often does not include looking beyond oneself to society and other cultures and conflicts. However, ignorance is only the fault of one’s laziness and one should not justify this shortcoming. My ignorance of international conflict and human rights was a choice; I may wish to blame my unawareness on my teachers or parents or life events, however, this is unacceptable. Society may try to defend ignorance with busyness or personal life challenges, …show more content…
In particular, students who are entering adulthood with unawareness must begin the process of enlightenment. Before individuals become absorbed in their job or family life, they must establish the practise of inquiring and being educated in major conflicts occurring internationally and issues dealing with human rights. For example, as an unenlightened student, I will begin my inquiry by gaining awareness regarding the conflicts occurring in Syria, as well as the human rights abuse of sexual violence in the workplace. Through the exploration of these and other topics, I hope to become enlightened and, therefore, become an effective individual in my community. Similar to what I hope to accomplish, society should become less self-absorbed and, rather, focus on enlightenment. An aware society will be an effective society, and this society can productively deal with situations regarding international conflict or human rights. International conflict and human rights, a complex subject, is simple to ignore; however, to be an effective citizen, education on this topic is crucial. Faced with a daunting decision, uninformed individuals must choose whether they will continue to live in nonage, or whether they will inquire and become enlightened. Realizing the importance of