Though many Americans fancy themselves very ‘learned’ individuals when it comes to global politics, extremely few can understand what it is like to live in a third world country. It’s reflective in nearly everything that we say, do, and even think. We use the phrases, “I’m starving,” or, “I have nothing to eat” (while looking into a refrigerator full of food) on a colloquial level. How often do people complain about busy they are, how stressed they’ve been, or the gossip of he said she said which changes each day.

18,802. Any idea what this number could represent? 18,802 is the number of civilians that have been killed by ISIS in the last two years, according to News Max and Breaking News. In the recent and familiar Paris attack 130 individuals were killed. Millions of tweets using the hashtag, “prayingforparis” were sent out over the next days, weeks, and even months. However this death count only represents 0.69% of the total death toll over the last two years. So how have we heard so little about these other attacks? The sad truth is that as a Western nation we greatly sympathize with our fellow Westerners, but not nearly as much support is there for domestic attacks toward middle eastern countries.

Unfortunately terror tragedies happen all the time in other nations with much more frequency and lethality then we would like to believe. Thursday, Jan. 21, in a Al-Shabaab lead attack on a beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, 20 individuals were reported dead. But where are the tweets? Who is talking about this at the office? When a terror attack left 14 dead in San Bernardino, both national and international news teams were reporting for hours on the subject. And yet when six more are killed by a terror attack in a third world country, there is little to no coverage of the subject.

On July 17, 2015, 130 people were killed in a suicide car bomb in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq. Though this attack is easy for us to overlook since it took place on the other side of the world; these were women, children, and innocent civilians spending a day at the marketplace. They were not criminals, soldiers, or even involved in a war. They were simply born in a less stable nation, and found victims of a horrible tragedy.

On August 20, 2015, 145 civilians were casualties at the hands of a suicide bomber. The attack took place in Maiduguri, Nigeria, similarly in a marketplace. Families had gathered to pray at a local mosque, and others to watch a football game. This received little to no media coverage, however three days prior when a terrorist attacked a police officer in Berlin, Germany, with a knife, there was news coverage on nearly every major station. Still think the media does not have a biased towards western nations? How can an attack with one casualty in a European nation, as opposed to an attack with 145 casulties in an African nation even begin to compare?

On October 10, 2015, during a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, two suicide bombers attacked the crowd. The explosions left 102 dead, and 508 injured.

On November 12, 2015, two suicide bombers detonated themselves in a large crowd. The attack took place in Beirut, Lebanon, left 43 dead, 240 wounded.

On December 5, 2015, three female suicide bombers attacked local market places in Laouna Sangu, Chad. The Boko Haram attack left 27 dead and 90 wounded.

In the month of December 2015, in the Middle East alone, terrorist attacks left 250 civilians dead, and another 445 wounded.

While there are countless incidences of terrorism in the world, and there is nothing that can be done to completely stop these tragedies, we have to ask ourselves, “What can be done to avoid the majority of these tragedies?”

While politicians will always debate topics like U.S. involvement in the middle east, and ideas of self-government in foreign nations, the true victims of these tragedies are the innocent civilians that are caught in the crossfire.

There are steps of action we can take. First, stay informed and spread awareness of these tragedies that don’t get the kind of news time as other events. You can stay informed by watching news stations like The Guardian, BBC, or Euro News. For other reputable media sources, check out the Drudge Report, CNN, New York Times and Politico. Then take time to tell someone you know about what you’ve learned. Whether it’s a family member at dinner, a colleague at work, or a friend in class, informing others of these issues is the first step towards fixing them.

Secondly, there are many organizations that aid refugees and displaced people from war torn nations. Organizations like the Red Cross, JustAct, and Save the Children help those in the most need. Donations to these groups goes further than they ever would in our lives. By giving up coffee four times a week you can save enough money to donate $15-20 a month to those struggling to survive.

So tonight as you go home to your family, spend time with your friends, or even hug your pet, take a moment to stop and realize how blessed we are to live in the United States of America. Where we don’t have to worry about random acts of terror or violence to ourselves or our family on a day to day basis. Where we have the freedom to dress, speak, and worship how we want without fear of persecution. We can share our gratitude for these freedoms by helping those who live without them.

For more commentary articles, please read COMMENTARY: Sophomore explores Italy over winter.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @JusHoots or via email @[email protected]