Better Than Before?

I posted yesterday about how easily we remove ourselves from things that happen in our world. We have this inherent ability to say "not me" and to see things and become temporarily enraged and then move on. It may be some sort of a survival instinct. If we were truly as empathetic as we think we are we may not be able to function. Even though a lot of us have been personally touched by some tragedy that we simply cannot get our minds around, to try to explain it seems to push people away, and there are always the people saying "well...what did you do to deserve it?". We like to think that we are enlightened and open minded, and that we have come so far. But have we really? It hasn't been that long ago that people were able to commit atrocities against other people, and that it was accepted, simply because of the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or their mental state, or what they were wearing. When I say that, you may think that I mean 50 years ago...but I mean today, yesterday, last week, last month, in the past year and the past decade or two...it is STILL happening. When we have to question if the risk is worth it to call the police, because our protectors are sometimes our tormentors. Or to call out for help because our neighbors can be our worst enemy. Judgment is easy to come by. We have no need for accountability in this country, our actions simply do not have consequence. Until we realize that, we will be forever lost...if there is no conscience, there is no compass to find our way back