Why Care?

“Does it really matter what you think when there are plenty of others who are more qualified to think about these issues for us?”

"Why care?" This is a question that, with some diffidence, many of us have wondered whenever our uncle asked what we thought about the upcoming election. It's a question that often arises when confronted with the vastness of the world and the seemingly impossible challenges it presents. Surrounded by well over 7 billion people, feelings of sonder can understandably alienate our sense of self. Does it really matter what you think when there are plenty of others who are more qualified to think about these issues for us? The mass scale of the virtually unreachable institutions that affect our lives, be it the United States Congress or Rutgers University, traps us in this seemingly unbreakable ice block of existential doubt. 

This ice block confines us to our own thoughts and meditations, and its banality can be suffocating. Coming from an immigrant family whose principles primarily revolve around making a sustainable livelihood and living "decently," I've been confined to this outlook which has frozen me into a state of social apathy, creating a significant fissure between my perspective and this question. Outside of this wall, however, lies a vibrant world of seemingly endless possibilities with incredible and curious people. Rather than being stuck in this mental barrier of stagnant ideals and complacency, they seamlessly glide atop the current issues of the political world, using their voice to project their powerful stance on issues they are passionate about. You could argue that given time, you'll gradually learn the importance of social empathy, and eventually, this barrier that prevents you from exploring the world will melt down. After all, ice melts naturally just as people mature over time. 

Mental maturation, however, is not simply an automatic process. The people you see carelessly gliding around the thick sheets of ice you've been stuck in didn't wait for it to melt — they broke it down themselves. It's both a meticulous and rough process, with incredible amounts of time and dedication required. Finding the conviction to break down these mental barriers starts with understanding the genesis of your motives and passions. In essence, what do you care about? 

I started the process of breaking out of my ice block with my interest in lab research. Before I tried to understand my interest in research beyond my inclinations towards science, however, it was just that — an interest. Any possible motives and passions beyond my surface-level interest were behind an unreachable locked door. I felt trapped in this locked room as I continued to waste my time and learn little from the project, and doors to meaningful opportunities were shut against me until I put personal investment into the project. 

After reflecting deeper on the problems I was dealing with during my research and starting to "care" about conflicts I didn't even have much control over, rather than becoming annoyed or hopeless, I became passionate about my research. Eventually, I developed ideas about the type of career I wanted to pursue, and I was able to hack chunks of the mental ice block of apathy I was trapped in. Moreover, I found my reason to "care" about what I was doing. 

Studying (all too common) occurrences of unexplained microbial infections in C-section newborns, our team constantly hits roadblocks to a lack of funding and resources due to severe neglect of women's health in medical research. When I noticed this, rather than just ignoring it, I talked to my principal investigator (my supervisor), who relayed her frustrations and issues with the lack of funding for this important project and the genre of research in general. Although this didn't solve any global health issues, this conversation led me to research the issue on my own time and unlocked doors for possible research topics in social healthcare within the project. 

However, breaking out of your mental ice block in small bits is an equally viable way to find your conviction and reason to "care." After all, "caring" about the world goes beyond politics and global crises. Continuously going out of your way to widen your perspective adds up to significant progress in breaking down your mental ice block, even if it's little by little. For example, although a simpler task than doing lab research, watching international movies—specifically Chinese and Hindi—has opened up my perspective on many different topics. Chungking Express, filmed in Hong Kong, remains one of my favorite films for its uniquely melodramatic depiction of grief and vulnerability. Another movie I recently watched, Dunki, filmed in India, tackles the sensitive topic of illegal immigration and, although fiction, showed me a pressing global issue I knew little about. After reading literature about the history of illegal immigration on the internet, I had a valuable conversation about my findings with my parents, who had grown up in Bangladesh, and learned about their perspective on the issue first-hand. Although I didn't exactly help anybody or make a difference in the world, I understood more about my heritage and the world around me — and I started by caring. 

So why should you care? My simple answer is to continue to break out from your mental ice block, be it in small bits or large chunks–a cliché conviction, yes, but one formed with original thoughts and conclusions from learning about the perspective of others. It may sound abstract and idealistic, but I found that it simply boils down to doing what you like and being involved with the community around you. "Caring" opens doors to opportunities to learn about even more perspectives that you wouldn't have had access to if you kept your door locked.