A perspective on the world

Before I got the opportunity to travel and meet different people I wouldn't say I was a cultured person. Culture for me involved lounging by the pool in Gran Canaria for a week and going home with a great tan. It wasn't until I started my university course in Languages that I began truly thinking about the world. Despite living in Madrid as a teenager and meeting many young people of the same age,  I had never thought about differences between nationalities and their respective cultures. Sure, I knew some stereotypes and firmly believed them to be true, thankfully I was proven wrong with most of them! 

During my university course, I got to spend two fantastic years abroad: one in Granada in southern Spain and one in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. During this time, I met a whole load of people who were nothing like me. They had different backgrounds, different interests, different sexualities and different religions. And they became some of my best friends. Friends with who I regularly stay in touch and meet up with abroad on a yearly basis. Friends who I also have lots in common with despite little differences. 

Why am I posting this? Well lately my perspective on this beautiful world has changed as I have became more educated and unfortunately older (age is not my friend!). Although I'm fully aware of the tragedies happening around me, I'm not a big fan of reading news as anytime you read it is full of horrific stories of murder, disease, poverty and war to include a few. When something I read is upsetting, it stays on my mind for weeks after. Why does it upset me so much? Because often there is not much I can do to help these people. Something that is still on my mind is the missing Nigerian schoolchildren -why has there not been much coverage of this? Why are other countries not intervening to help? 

About a year ago, I signed up to a well-known human rights organisation. And I am often sent emails by them to complete petitions which I do without blinking. I share it on my social media pages to make my friends aware of it and from time to time donate money. What is preoccupying my mind at the moment is this: is this all I can really do to help?