Sometimes people just need a listening ear, rather than an unwelcome comeback to make one’s issue seem insignificant.

As a society, we should be tired of others taking our time of need as a chance to shine a light on their own problems. In this case, the lack of empathy may be a cry for help, but for the most part, the actions are quite agitating-especially when no one asked for them

Friends and Family Do it Too

“I was just really upset at some point and my friend came across and was like, ‘you can’t be upset about this. I am more upset about it’,”  junior Shea Metzgar said.

As if the situation wasn’t unfortunate enough, usually the ones who engage in such a foul competition happen to be those whom we are close with. Thia status, this does not make it okay in any way, shape, or form to disregard the feelings of another person. If anything, this amplifies 10x over.

Lying for the Sake of Attention

“One time I was telling some people I almost died at age 2, [that] it was a close call [and] I was in the hospital for 2 weeks [with] a bunch of stuff going on,” junior Blake Behitter said. “One of the people I told came back and tried to one-up me, saying he was in a nasty car accident and was in the hospital, broke some bones and had a concussion, but the whole thing was a lie.”

Turning a request for help, into a competition for sadness  is an inexcusable lack of empathy.

This is exactly why teens as a whole close themselves off from others, because instead of listening, society tends to do everything in their power to shift the attention to themselves, rather than listening to the needs of others.

A Cry For Help

There is a controversial subject regarding a matter that many also find to be agitating: taking their feelings to social media. From crying videos to the classic “Don’t Hit Me Up,” many believe that posting about the issues we are facing is simply attention seeking. It is everything but. Whether the follower count is large or small, it takes a lot of courage to reveal to the world how one is feeling. In this day and age, teens turn to technology as a form of comfort.

Life is not always fair, and not everyone has someone to turn to in their time of need. So what do we do? We post such things in hopes of someone taking the time to be there for us.

 The solution? 

Wentzville students need to begin developing a more dependable society, one where others are not afraid or reluctant to express their feelings. Especially when the action they are dreading – sharing our story – happens to become a competition of who has the worst life, mental state, or any other, we need to stop and listen.

Stop. Listen. Help. Don’t make it a competition.