Time for a reality check

Global issues are cropping up all around us. Tyrannical ruling of corrupt governments; starvation, disease, poverty; a recent frenzy of natural disasters off the Pacific Ocean. And there’s also the growing prospect of WWIII due to a pair of egotistical, power-hungry world leaders. But the reports that are captivating the youth of today are not those of life- changing political nature. The question that has every millennial Google searching and debating is this: is Kylie Jenner pregnant?

If you’re looking for confirmation on whether the 20 year old Kardashian-Jenner sister is indeed expecting a bouncing bundle of over-privileged joy, I am delighted to disappoint you. This is no such article. It’s frustrating and a little disheartening that people fill their time obsessing over a money-oriented lifestyle that serves nothing but themselves. It appears many long for an unobtainable, overly extravagant existence. This may seem like a harsh analysis, I too am guilty of falling victim to the allure of the clickbait headline.

We have a budding generation with many incredible qualities that, if harnessed, could change the future of humankind…

Do not feel too discouraged. The potential of humanity is limitless, there is so much we are yet to learn. We have a budding generation with many incredible qualities that, if harnessed, could change the future of humankind. We can develop our curiosity to search for solutions to scientific conundrums; amplify our empathy to fight for those whose voices cannot be heard. Instead we fill our heads with gossip and notions of indulgence. It has been this way for a long time, that we admire the lives of others and take pleasure in their public spectacles. We live in a society that thrives on Schadenfreude and idealism.

It’s difficult to know where to point the finger of blame on this one. Do we learn this in school, or from our parents? Is it the money-fuelled media industry? An argument can easily be made for all of these. Could it be that we are so conditioned in our taxing and mundane lives that we seek an escape? We see this world of idle luxury and crave it for ourselves. Tiny things are ‘the end of the world,’ and we get caught up in a petty downward spiral of drama. Their lives must be so perfect to be able to make such meaningless things seem so catastrophic. The relentless torrent of daily celebrity gossip that floods my news feed is difficult to resist. Social media, magazines, even the serious news outlets, throw in trivial headlines in an attempt to lighten the burden of the corrupt and disintegrating world around us.

My answer to the burning question of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy: Who really cares?

I believe it would be in everyone’s best interest if they gave up on their search for shallow information, and maybe swivelled their attention to more pressing matters. Like climate change for example? Maybe then we would use our votes to make a difference instead of amusing ourselves with the frivolous lives of scandalous socialites. Would Brexit be happening? Would Donald Trump be proposing nuclear war? Would we have found a cure for cancer, or eradicated world hunger? Maybe, maybe not, we can only speculate. My answer to the burning question of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy: Who really cares? The real conundrum is this: Why do we waste our time Keeping Up with the Kardashians?