Indifference or apathy is a state in which we do not care and/or do not act on what is going on around us. Is it because (12 years ago)many promised to walk by our side for as long as it takes and disappeared? Without indignation, without anger, without hope, humanity will be extinguished forever." It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. Published Of course, indifference can be tempting more than that, seductive. It was the look of indifference in Chauvins eyes on May 25, 2020, as he casually drained the life out of George Floyd. "The Perils of Indifference" is a call to action, to remind everyone that they have a duty to respond to indifference and intolerance because their legacyas well as their humanitydepends on it. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees -- not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. On July 24, 1998 his son, Adam Dzialo, drowned. Wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they were, strangers to their surroundings. It lowers the intensity of the feeling of the person when used in a sentence as compared to use of 'anguish'. But the question remainswhy did so few people step up to try to help? Martin Luther King Jr. the most. But indifference is never creative. It is so much easier to look away from victims. We should also try not to cause others to be indifferent to us. In particular, indifference is "more dangerous than anger and hatred." It is "not a beginning, it is an end." It is "not only a sin, it is a punishment" (par 11-13). Indifference reduces the Other to an __________. For example, if I didn't care whether my friend died we would not have a relationship - we'd be too busy with our own lives to bother with each other. Indifference can be positive or negative; it can help or hurt those who are indifferent to our feelings. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. Never wonder if it\s permissible to visit. So many of our severelychallenged children and adults are pure and richhuman beings whose lives are often re-defined by the stares, the avoidance, the pity, the indifference of their fellow human beings. Over there, behind the black gates of Auschwitz, the most tragic of all prisoners were the "Muselmanner," as they were called. Ive come to realize that I have a lot more respect for people who are passionate about any cause, even if it is in opposition to mine, than I do for people who are just plain indifferent. Anguish can also be used to refer to intense mental distress, but that does not necessarily imply confusion. Indifference elicits no response. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Authors Cast Inc. What did Elie Wiesel say about indifference? It is so easy for one to simply take feeling out of all perspectives in life. Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep one\s sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals? Have we really learned from our experiences? Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate, and author (most famously known for Night), gave this impassioned speech as part of the Millennium Lecture series, hosted by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. I sincerely hope that the Spirit inspires the people around you to become more attentive and caring toward your son. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. Allow a caretaker to go out to supper once every so often. Sharon\s new book,Ceramic to Clay,seeks toencouragepeople to understand trauma, to learn aboutauthentic healing, to empower people toembrace their journeys and to understand their calling at a deeper level. And now we knew, we learned, we discovered that the Pentagon knew, the State Department knew. We as a culture have been trained to run from The Cross and we dont expend much energy learning to embrace and carry it. Alicia Lartigue is a writer who loves to write about various topics. You disarm it. Never wonder if the disabled would be okay going to a movie or a dinner. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. C. Some of my friends are funny. ". Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. Your article challenges me on many frontsmy initial gut reaction was to think back at promises I may have made that I didnt follow through with. How can it, if you're pretending what's going on simply isn't happening? Just a human, just a man lying on the pavement being pressed upon, desperately crying out. The normalization of terror, the seductiveness of indifference, and the ever-present need to struggle against it demands that we constantly, actively rouse our consciousness. (100, 104-106). We are on the threshold of a new century, a new millennium. Rooted in our tradition, some of us felt that to be abandoned by humanity then was not the ultimate. Is it becauseAdam is non-verbal and non-ambulatory? His many classmates and a plethora of teammates, his teachers and therapists, our friends and many family members I expect them to rush here, to call, to send a card to celebrate the life of a thriving, joyful friend and relative. You fight it. We expect our actions to produce certain reactions. When it is our turn, were surprised that were weak. You disarm it. This time, we do respond. And just as there are different types of diseases, so too are there different kinds of indifference. ", 5. If you question the statements about human indifference, visit a state institution for severely disabled, a state funded day habilitation facility, an elderly set of parents who have just had public or family support services reduced or eliminated by the state. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction.. They were dead and did not know it. He thought there never would be again. Millions more were killed in World War I, World War II, and Vietnam, and still countries were using violence to solve their problems. He mobilized the American people and the world, going into battle, bringing hundreds and thousands of valiant and brave soldiers in America to fight fascism, to fight dictatorship, to fight Hitler. The trick is choosing to move beyond that place and take action to be compassionate and goodand that's not an easy thing to do. Are we less insensitive to the plight of victims of ethnic cleansing and other forms of injustices in places near and far? Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. But indifference is never creative. Indifference makes Black pain invisible just as it did with Floyd. Can one possibly view indifference as a virtue? It is so much easier to look away from victims. We know it's a surprise, but indifference is a prominent subject in a lecture titled "The Perils of Indifference." If we acknowledged each of those mothers, each of those victims of terror, of guns,each of these victims of indifference, we would have no emotional energy or time left for anything else, and still our task would be very much incomplete. Wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they were, strangers to their surroundings. Indifference reduces the other to a concept. And our only miserable consolation was that we believed that Auschwitz and Treblinka were closely guarded secrets; that the leaders of the free world did not know what was going on behind those black gates and barbed wire; that they had no knowledge of the war against the Jews that Hitler's armies and their accomplices waged as part of the war against the Allies. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Why have American presidents refused for decades to use the term genocide in describing the atrocities committed against Armenians by the Ottoman E It doesn't involve actions, so it is much more difficult to fight. Which answer should go in blank 27? Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. It is much simpler to prevent such obnoxious disruptions to our work, aspirations, and hopes. Even under a human rights approach, our solutions will be imperfect, and difficult questions such as these will persist. This time, we intervene. When we ignore someone's anguish, we send them a message that they are not important to us. defined as being uncaring vis--vis arbitrary policies affecting other social groups. It was his way of witnessing the genocide that eliminated his family along with millions of other Jews. D. Only But then Chauvin came along. Derek Chauvin in court Tuesday as the guilty verdict was read. Imagine their collective sense of betrayal when they realized that world leaders had known what was going onand did nothing. It is also ignoring others' sufferings and putting yourself first. Most Black people have experienced this. People can't be blamed for being indifferent; it is a natural state of mind. We see their faces, their eyes. I don't understand. There is social indifference, which means ignoring other people's needs and desires. In many respects, apathy is worse than rage and hatred because when people are furious, they take action to address the issue. I understand first hand the difficulty people have when confronted with events that change expectations of a future life. My friends and me And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. C) "Anguish" carries more intense connotations, so using that word instead of "pain" raises the intensity of the passage. Why did some of America's largest corporations continue to do business with Hitler's Germany until 1942? It's neither pleasant nor enjoyable, but it's all part of being a good human, according to Elie Wiesel. What he does know is how many people suffered and died throughout the 20th century, and he also knows that a lot of the bad stuff seems to still be happening all around the world. Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. During the darkest of times, inside the ghettoes and death camps -- and I'm glad that Mrs. Clinton mentioned that we are now commemorating that event, that period, that we are now in the Days of Remembrance -- but then, we felt abandoned, forgotten. (81-85). The Auschwitz Pledge Foundation was established to fight indifference to manifestations of discrimination, especially racism, antisemitism, misogyny as well as discrimination against migrants and refugees and LGBTQIA+ people.

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indifference reduces the other to an abstraction