In the light of these rapid modern days rushing past like a shooting star since COVID—I found myself returning to these short reflections. It comes as no surprise that humanitarian issues have always been a source of controversy.

Despite the cold and aggressive period of the pandemic, the world has continued to sustain wars and invasions in pursuit of power and personal interest. But what has truly changed—drastically—post-COVID?

The influence of the global economy over our jobs and businesses has extended far beyond what we once understood. Collective public opinion especially the act of voicing it—has shifted into something more individualistic, often shaped by self-protection. Protection of one’s position, one’s career, one’s business. And so, individual by individual, we have formed societies that are quietly controlled where humanitarian crises across regions are often overlooked or selectively acknowledged.

Just as governments comment on certain wars but remain silent on others guided by economic dependencies and political alliances individuals mirror the same pattern.What is the common ground between the wars in Yemen, Ukraine, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq? Or the civil and ethnic conflicts across Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Nigeria, the Uyghurs in China, and beyond?

Yes, at their core, they are deeply political and even more so, economic struggles for power. But where do our voices stand when we speak on one and remain silent on another? When individual interest begins to override ethics and truth? Is it simply sad?

I believe it goes beyond sadness. It reflects a deeper fracture a state of absolute shame for where humanity has arrived.It has a name: selective humanitarianism.