What is Our Heart of Darkness in 2015?

In 2015, there are many examples of Heart of Darkness in our society, just like the one in the book. There are places and people that are more privileged and because of this, are unaware of what's happening in other parts of the world. There are dark places both literally and symbolically, and like the journey Marlow and Kurtz went on, we have to explore and understand these places that suffer or are different.

 Living in the great town of Oak Park and at the same time hearing about the violence that goes on in Chicago truly makes me stop and reflect. I can relate to Marlow going to Africa and discovering the native people. I play basketball on the West Side of Chicago and seeing the children there and the rough circumstances make me not only appreciate what I have but also make me realize their reality. In Chicago, there is tons of intentional crime and unnecessary violence. However, there are people that live in the dangerous parts and areas of destitute that want to escape and are doing everything they can to be safe. There are plenty of after school programs in the city that help kids stay off the streets and keep them involved. Although Chicago is suffering from the violence, there are also people that live in these conditions trying to alleviate the problems.

As a society, we need to understand the violence and the people who are trying to do the right thing. We can't be blind to the fact that there is relentless crime in 2015 in Chicago. Rather, we have to accept that there are residents who stand up for these issues. Yes, there are often times people within the violent areas that commit crimes because they don't know better and are blind to what an ideal situation looks like. But looking from the outside and living separate from this violence, we can't also be blind to it. Instead of coming across this constant violence on the news and ignoring it, we should speak out and assist the neighborhoods who actually do so much to try and eliminate the violence rather than contributing to the crime. As a society, we should search for that light and unification. It's not easy to end the violence and poverty, but we can address it and take the right approach.