Student Lilli Scott discusses the importance of a Social Conscience
Silence is golden. Or is it? In a world of constant liberation through the internet we are asked to assess our moral stance more regularly. Topics like immigration, misogyny, climate change and civil revolutions are regularly circulating through our news and media. Many deal with this in different ways. Some people prefer to ignore the issues as they would rather be ignorant than informed and unable to make any real difference. Some remain informed and make no effort to make a difference. Others do what they can. We as a school, as a community and as society need to do what WE can. The importance of having an individual social conscience in today’s world is becoming increasingly apparent.
A personal favourite quote which has recently gained popularity epitomizes the nature of this issue- “We have maintained a silence closely resembling stupidity”. It originates from the revolutionary Junta Tuitiva, who fought for freedom in Bolivia in 1809. There is no one person to blame for the kind of world we are in. But by not standing up and trying to make a change for the better, it’s our own fault the world has not progressed from where it is.
We are lucky at Aquinas as our school has such a great special character backbone which encourages us to hold ourselves and others accountable to initiatives such as the Touchstones and RRR. As young people it’s really important we introduce these values into our lives and stand up for injustices we are passionate about. We are the future leaders who will be dealing with these issues. So strengthen your social conscience. There is a reason the school places such an emphasis on these initiatives. It aligns with the teaching of the church, the teachings of the wise and the voice within each of us. In this modern world, we need to make an effort now more than ever to break the “silence”.
