There is a monster among us.

Or so the media would have us believe, if its coverage of the so-called Ebola crisis is any indication.

The way that the media and much of the general public have treated the subject of Ebola is similar to the way we thought of ghosts and boogeymen when we were young: deadly, invisible and always lurking around the corner.

In fact, we’re so fixated on the possibility that Ebola may jump out and attack us that we’ve let our own capacity for humanity fall aside.

Loyola community, we urge you to treat Ebola for what it is: it is not some kind of monster out for our lives, nor is it an excuse for selfishness.

In America, the public response to Ebola seems to be split between paranoia and ridicule. Both reactions indicate that we’re forgetful of our own privilege as residents of a fully developed country. We have the luxury of treating Ebola as a sudden problem, as an abnormality.

This is not the case in the West African countries where the Ebola virus has been a daily problem since December of 2013.

So while in America, Ebola may have only recently become primetime-worthy material or a trending topic on the Internet, but it’s something that has  been a reality for people living in West Africa for over 10 months.

In fact, for many of the people who live in West Africa, Ebola is just another monster among many: HIV/AIDS, yellow fever, malaria, tuberculosis and malnutrition run rampant among people who lack access to adequate health care.

We’re not writing this to belittle anyone for being fearful of contracting a possibly fatal disease, but we do urge you to put those fears into context.

If any of us in America were to be infected with the Ebola virus, we can be assured that we have access to doctors and quality medicine. We even have the attention of our government who is working actively to make sure that Ebola remains contained to a few isolated cases.

This is self-centeredness at its worst, and it’s caused us to behave toward others in ways that should be labeled as monstrous themselves. Consider Navarro College’s decision to deny admission to two international students because they come from countries with confirmed Ebola cases. Consider the West African high school soccer player from Pennsylvania, who was taunted by players from an opposing team with chants of “Ebola” during a game. Consider the thousands of people who have used the topic of Ebola as the punchline to their bad jokes.

If we see fit to call ourselves a culture with a global mindest, we cannot embrace our global humanity only when it conveniences us. We cannot let our fear dissolve into prejudice and racism, nor can we use it as a reason to cover our eyes against the real evils and monsters that roam the earth.

Loyola community, we urge you to retain your global mindset in the face of this so-called crisis. Don’t use it as an occasion for self-indulgent fear, but don’t treat it lightly.  Discuss the subject Ebola with seriousness and compassion for the people who lack the resources for treating it. At the same time, don’t use it as an excuse for remaining ignorant about everything else that is going on in the world.