Apathy

This is a letter I wrote to the Pastor of the church that I volunteer for. I thought that it might be of interest to some of you.

Good morning Pastor,
Yesterday you brought up a very interesting subject, and I am afraid that I brushed it off rather lightly, with a flippant remark and then a very simplistic answer. You were quite right to think about the root causes of apathy, and I have been doing so since that conversation.
Whole books and internet threads (if you are familiar with the concept) have been written discussing the way society and individuals become apathetic towards their communities and fellow man. It would be a long conversation (at least seven pots of coffee) indeed for us to even make a dent into the topic.
Without a context to put your question in, I have thought of a few things about the cause of apathy in today's society.
As I said, where the individual is concerned, a lot of apathy stems from the way we are raised. When a young child is not encouraged to take a part in any kind of decision making, or helping others, they develop a personality that believes that everything will be taken care of for them. We, as parents and family, have to lead by example, and show the next generation HOW to care. You have done so, to a great extent within the family of your Parish, as seen by the results you have garnered for the Foodbank.
Another cause of apathy among people is the belief that we cannot make a difference. We ask ourselves, "What is the point of one vote? I'm only one person, so what can I do?" You gave the example in your sermon of the "ripple effect". That is what life is all about, and why each one of us is put on this earth.
When I was a boy, my cousin Ashley died of SIDS before the age of three. I asked myself then about the value of a life, it could be taken from us so quickly. In time, my Faith answered that even in her short time with us, Ashley had made her mark on those around her. There is no such thing as an untimely death, Pastor, only one that goes unnoticed by the majority. I firmly believe that my cousin and her older sister (who died in a tragic house fire) had both fulfilled their mission here on earth, and so God took them back to Himself.
Excuse me a moment, as I always cry still to think of the loss of Tara Dawn. There was so much I had yet to share with her.
Anyway, all life serves to affect the life around it. As Buddha said, all things are connected. You cannot take one piece out of the puzzle, one thread from the tapestry without destroying the beautiful picture that God has woven. Even as we care for one life, we care for the whole of creation.
Today, we have a whole other set of causes for apathy. We are brought up to "mind our own business". We shy away form our duty to the Universe for fear of hurt, both physical and emotional. All of us are guilty of saying, "That has nothing to do with me, it is somebody else's job."
People value their independence very highly, and we are brought up, rightly, to respect that value. What happens when we take that respect beyond reason? Eventually we start to turn a blind eye toward the needs of our neighbours. As they suffer, we walk by and say, "It isn't my business to interfere." When we see a bully picking on a smaller child, we only too often say, "Let the kid stick up for himself." It is high time that we took note of our neighbour's plight. The fate of mankind is the business of all of mankind. Just as Jacob Marley declared to Ebeneezer Scrooge.
In a world that is so full of war, pain and death, we are quick to turn away from the things we see around us. It is easier and "safer" to keep our eyes on the home and hearth. We live now in a world where we have to have laws to protect people who try to help within their means, because they will be sued at the drop of a hat. The "Good Samaritan" law is a prime example of attempting to easy the apathy of society. When you have to legislate good works, you know there is a problem.
We would hope that all of us have faith in both God and our fellow man. Unfortunately, we rely too much on higher authorities. It is the job of the government to take care of things. We somehow expect God to solve our problems with no input from us. The Lord only helps those who help themselves. Beyond that, God often sends His help in the form of our fellow man. Many is the guardian angel has appeared in my life in the guise of family, friends and complete strangers. In our turn, we must act as the angel sent in another's time of need.
Apathy is a very intense subject. In my psychology studies, we didn't have time to do much with it. It is something we each have to grapple with on an individual basis. Only when we tackle our own shortcomings can we ever hope to enrich the society around us.
Please forgive the long-winded nature of this e-mail, but you gave me great food for thought, and fodder for several blog posts.

Your friend,
Joe