Tragedies and Statistics

"The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."

— Unknown

Despite the fact that this quote has constantly been misattributed to Stalin, even when there is no such proof of him ever uttering such a phrase, many still dismiss this quote as if it was indeed the self-justifying words of a ruthless, calculating, inhumane dictator—a murderer of millions—of an era that has long past us. 

Though I will argue that it is a reminder for each and every one of us to be conscious of the fact that our existence is not merely bound to the confines of our immediate social circles—our friends, our family, our acquaintances, our coworkers and our community. It is an exhortation to recognize that we are also part of humanity—that when the world begins to fall apart, when our nations fall prey to disease, famine, or war, when millions across the globe unjustly perish and perpetually suffer, we do not consign ourselves to being mere bystanders, indifferent to the chaos that rages on on our computer and television screens because we dismiss it simply as bad news, as unfortunate circumstances, as something we hope someone will figure out. 

Instead, we preoccupy ourselves with the “tragedies” of our personal lives. Yes—the people in our lives and our own individual pursuit of happiness and fulfillment is undeniably important, but the world will not wait for us to decide if it’s “worth it” to sacrifice the stability of our normal lives, to go out of our way to change it. Someday, somehow, irrespective of our willingness or desire to commit, we must all dutifully acknowledge the roles we each must play to make this world a better place, and to prevent the proliferation of evil, lest it suddenly appear at our doorstep when we least expect it.