We’ve all done it. There was some major paper to write or exam to study for that was left until the last minute. With all the time beforehand to do so, we procrastinate out of laziness, fear or even a mixture of the two. Now, a rushed essay or some crammed studying may not be such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. However, if we continue to add to a society of lazy individuals waiting to make the world a better place on a day that will never come, we will create — and have already created — very serious issues for society as a whole.
Solving many major problems can be as easy as changing the way we think about the issues affecting our future. We could eliminate, or at least attempt to eliminate, apathy toward devising solutions for deeply rooted issues, such as climate change, gun control and inequality, if the problems of tomorrow weren’t solved tomorrow, but today.
Now, there are two main reasons why many aren’t so keen on spending the time necessary to plan for a better future. One is our crippling fear of death.
Another reason is most of us have to figure out today before we can worry about tomorrow. Although some would like to look down on others for only worrying about their own world instead of all of humanity, it is often overlooked that Americans aren’t just sitting at home twiddling their thumbs.
Honestly, a person struggling to make ends meet to put a roof over his or her family’s heads and feed his or her children couldn’t care less about climate change. According to the Associated Press in 2013, four out of five Americans "struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives." If only everyone was rich enough to dabble in politics as a hobby. And college students may seem to get caught up in their own world through classes and activities, but students now can’t be the difference and change they wish to see in the world if they don’t take time to actually graduate.
So, it isn’t as cut and dried as the "Americans are just plain lazy" rhetoric espoused by those who lack the capacity to empathize make it seem. But that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a change to push politicians to focus more on policies of the future. According to the Washington Post on Oct. 1, there were 294 mass shootings in 2015 by the end of September, yet Americans only jump to voice a change in gun reform when a shooter walks into a school or a church. And even then, the opposition to current gun laws draws silence within a matter of days after a tragedy. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) included in its 2013 report that Earth will hit a critical temperature where global climate patterns will permanently shift by 2036. However, polls show every single year the most important issue for Americans is not the killing of innocent Americans every day, nor the end of the world in 20 years, but rather the economy.
Instead of waiting to the last minute for monumental change that will never come, we can be the difference today, starting with small changes. With the 2016 election right around the corner, we can force candidates to talk about gun control and environmental policy along with economic policy, but only if the candidates truly believe Americans care about these issues. For the 90 percent of us who don’t live in poverty, we must take time to focus on the issues of tomorrow.
Many of us may get caught up in our own worlds, and sometimes justifiably so, but humankind and the future of the world we live in need to be of importance, too.
Joshua Udvardy is a UF engineering freshman. His column appears on Wednesdays.
