So I was recently required for one of my classes to read a short essay by George Orwell called “Shooting an Elephant,” a recollection of his experience serving as a police officer during England’s imperialistic occupation of India in the 1930’s. I was perusing the article for some time with the attitude that I just needed to read it quickly and finish the assignment so I could be rid of the burden of homework for the weekend, and go do fun things. But I was stopped in my tracks by one phrase Orwell offered up that really got me thinking...
Orwell was discussing how as a British officer attempting to keep the peace in India during the period of imperialism he observed many injustices that took place. Orwell recalled these images, "all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt.” After reading that phrase I sat and pondered the idea of “oppressive guilt” for a moment, questioning whether guilt can really be compared to the oppression of an invading foreign government. When people compare the discomfort that results from viewing injustice to the actual discomfort that results from experiencing injustice, I tend to become angry. I think it is rather selfish and narrow-minded to compare empathetic feelings to the pain that results from actually experiencing discomfort. This is why I think it is important for people to know the injustice that is occurring in the world. They should open their eyes to the uncomfortable wrongs that are being done to countless people across the globe. People should watch the news. People should watch movies that tell true stories, though they may contain violence and images that are disheartening to watch. The society that forgets the wrongs that have been done in the past is doomed to repeat them. Society should never close its eyes to injustice in the name of protecting its own conscience. That is just selfish.
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