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A young, naïve 17-year-old boy. From wandering the bustling streets of Newcastle to exploring the luxurious hills of Cape Town. A perspective cliched by modern life and the upsurge of social media, an individual care plus a care to those in need. Although that is all it is, ‘a care’. For many that is all it will ever be. For some that is more than what it will ever be. From an early age we are taught to be considerate of others and to not act a certain way as we as humans never truly know everything that a person is going through. But why do most not agree to utilise this clever strategy? I believe it’s because of the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ If its not performed to you, like at a pantomime, then it does not really exist in your mind. In July 2018, I learnt to appreciate the difference between first world problems and real-world problems. The difference in the scale of hurt and how although everyone has a right to express grief, everything is relative. Problems are relative. I feel as a person that has suffered from anxiety, I am allowed to express my grief. However, does that make my problems bigger than others? The simple answer is no. Problems and issues can affect a person in different ways. They can affect mindset, mood, ability to eat, fitness and character. Whilst this list is not conclusive, and there are many different variants, it is a start. This is where I introduce my local connection. A juvenile black boy aged around 6. A child that you would excuse for expressing his grief. Someone who has been through so much more than the average human being will ever have to face. And yet he’s positive. Maybe more positive than me. He has witnessed deaths in his township. He has seen his friends become malnourished. He has seen his and others housings fall to the ground, affected by the heat and dryness of the soil. He has never stepped foot outside of the walls of his township. It has encapsulated him. He is trapped like he is in a prison. Close to the surroundings of the beautiful Table Mountain. And yet he will likely never get the chance to climb this mountain. How is it that a boy can be so strong willed and so mentally at peace with himself, that he can remain happy throughout the adversity his life has observed. Does this raise question to the problem that social media has affected our mindsets? Has using our phone created an upswing in mental health problems? Because for a child to remain strong through all of this, and look forward to the every day, he must be praised by all. He is a strong individual and I could not put myself in his shoes, because I would not last 5 minutes in the way that this young boy can compose himself to endure. Is the problem with youth today, that first world problems are comparing to real world problems? As I stated earlier, you never know what someone is going through. However, when you do find out the issues that some go through, like my young friend. Then I cannot compare my issues to his. I must count myself lucky every time I get to use a little bit of technology, no matter how big or small. As this child would do anything to make his family feel safe and be equipped with new tech. My local connection was however not just with this boy, it was also a connection with my life. He showed me how to be strong, even in times of struggle. How to use this strength every day to prepare myself for the challenges ahead. I often think about this boy and how his life may not have changed meeting me. But how mine certainly has by meeting him. This boy is one of many that live in Townships after Apartheid. They face the real trauma in comparison to most. They are inspirations for us suffering from first world problems. We should emulate them.