Some years ago I heard one phrase: "Do not beware of your friends, the most terrible thing they can do is to betray you; do not beware of your enemies, the most terrible thing they can do is to kill you; but beware of apathetic people, even because of their silent consent there are treachery and assassination in our world." I can say, that this thought will exist in my mind all my life.
If you think a little about this, you'll understand that all the things that happen in our life is a consequence of indifference. How often you see a man liying on the ground without any move and overpass him, thinking that he can be just a drunkard?
Another fact... Sometimes I see a situation, when a mother is sitting on a bench in a park and reading a newspaper while her child is crying blundered and fallen down. And she says to him, "Misha, stand up immediately!"
Our government doesn't care about us! A thousand times they speak about crisis, demography, unemployment, but do almost nothing to solve these problems. Unfortunately, there are teachers who cares only about their diary being full of good marks, but not about children's heads being full of useful knowledge and their hearts being full of positive emotions and kindness.
Sometimes playing with my younger brother I realize that a broken toy for him is the same problem as a failed exam for me. But his parents say, "So what? It is just a toy..." They don't think that for their child this toy can be alive, can be a friend, can breathe and feel, maybe think... His parents don't care! And then... in many years this boy won't care about his stricken-in-years parents asking him for a glass of water...
Look around when you are walking down the street. You can see hundrets of people with walkmans and earphones... They live in their own small world and are absolutely indifferent to what happens around them. You don't see their eyes, only heartless reflections. Hey! Look at yourself You are walking down the street with a walkman and earphones too!
I have written this essay because I want everyone to understand that the world of indifferent people and the world of human beings are two different realities...
We can`t say that indifference is bad or good.When your close people need help, and you are able to help them, it is bad to be indifferent. But sometimes indifference is good, because it can protection you from something harmful.
I think speaking about indefference to everybode is too general. It's more important to mention indifference to the people close to us because it's really scaring. It may even separate the members of one family.
Well, I guess that your examples are a little bit...hyperbolized. Just let me explain why I think so.
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They don't think that for their child this toy can be alive, can be a friend, can breathe and feel, maybe think... His parents don't care! And then... in many years this boy won't care about his stricken-in-years parents asking him for a glass of water...
Well, these words made me puzzled. Why do you think that these parents don't care??? They just try to explain to their little son that the toy isn't alive, so it's no use to weep. They just tell him the truth. Besides, they somehow teach a child how to distinguish false and real trouble. And I'm convinced that their attitude towards a broken toy can't influence their child's psyche and make him a grown-up heartless monster... It's not indifference at all.
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You can see hundreds of people with Walkmans and earphones... They live in their own small world and are absolutely indifferent to what happens around them.
Well, what's wrong with Walkmans and earphones? The fact that I use them while going anywhere or just strolling about the streets instead of paying attention to every person I meet doesn't mean that I'm indifferent to the surroundings. It just means that I'd like to be on my own. It's not indifference, it's a natural desire to have a rest from the permanent street-noise... Alex, I also ask you to describe a situation when YOU've faced indifference. And I'd also like to know your own self-reflectiveness: do you tend to be indifferent?
"Alex, I also ask you to describe a situation when YOU've faced indifference. And I'd also like to know your own self-reflectiveness: do you tend to be indifferent?"
I'm sorry, but I don't want to describe any situation when I've faced indifference. And... yes, I can be a very indifferent person. And I'm indifferent.
Well, I reckon that sometimes indifference is not so scaring as you picture it. I'd also like you to descibe a situation in your life when your indifference helped you enormously. I guess you fall back upon its help every day and that is why your nervous system is allright. Isn't it so?
I don't think that you're honest now. You simply want to be very... very... so-to-say kind and attentive... Just read my argument. Imagine: one of us (I mean our group) is in low spirits and needs some support and encouragement. Do you always pay attention to it? No, 'cause it's impossible! So, can't it be called 'indifference'?
You can call me an egoist now, but does that person need my help and support? Yes, a uni-group is a small closed society, but it doesn't mean that in these group all members are the best friends of each other. So the fact is, that the members of a group, firstly, go and ask for help their best friends, but these people may not be a members of the group.
Hm, indifference...... depressing view of life? sort of reaction to social injustices? self-defence? result of moral and spiritual exhaustion? ........
Self-defence... I think this reasons is likely to be the main one. We just build a wall of indifference, separating ourselves from social injustices, negative emotions and so on. We try to maintain, to support our inner balance.
Indifference is a deadly weapon in people's hands. But where does it come from? Why do we call people indifferent? Is it because they try not to intrude into your personal space? Is it because avoiding extensive contacts like help, encouragement, advice, criticism can be just an inborn instinct for survival, self-protection and safety? With the forward rushing civilization people tend to build borders to protect themselves from too much influence and intrusion to prevent their personal system of behaviour and rules of survival so that their descendants could go on. May I ask you to descrine one instance in your life when you felt indifferent to somebody or felt somebody's indifference to you?
