Apathy and the Living Dead
It’s nothing to die; it’s frightful not to live. - Victor Hugo
The word “Apathy” has its origin in Greek and literally means "without feelings." Isn’t that a description of the dead? That was what Victor Hugo was referring to when he wrote, "It’s nothing to die; it’s frightful not to live." In other words, we should not be afraid of dying, but not living. The apathetic are alive, but without feelings, so they are not living. They are the living dead.
Here’s what the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm (1900-1980) had to say about the subject, "... In the 19th century the problem was that God is dead; in the 20th century the problem is that man is dead ..." He calls apathy a problem for a good reason. It is a double-edged sword that wounds both the apathetic and the society in which they live. For example, although nuclear weapons cannot destroy democracy, voter apathy can! Such is the horrific negative power of apathy. As the world’s leading democratic country, The U.S., prepares to go to the polls, voter turnout is expected to be about 36%. Wouldn’t you call that a wakeup call?
What is the cause of apathy? It is often frustration and a sense of powerlessness that causes people to withdraw from life. However, the ultimate cause is their attitude, the way they react to the changing world. Let’s take a look at a specific example.
Jan has recently learned that her company has been bought by another company. Within a month, she and her coworkers will learn who among them will be hired by the new company and who will lose their jobs. Overnight their sense of security has been shattered. They are experiencing apprehension and frustration. They feel that they have lost control over their lives. They complain and disengage from activity. "If the company doesn’t care about me, why should I care about it? What’s the point of working when I’m probably going to lose my job anyway?"
This is an example of worker apathy. The staff has been reduced to a bunch of zombies. No one is doing their job. They are just putting in their time until that fateful day when they learn whether they have a job in the new company. There is one exception, however. And that is Jan. She is different. She has a different attitude and is living proof that apathy is not caused by events, but by our reaction to events.
This book is important to business students because it shows that even the most seasoned executive runs into unexpected challenges and can find themselves in uncharted territory. Jim Barton’s experiences and lessons can be lessons for anyone. Any employee, whether they are support staff or a top executive, should always maintain an open mind and be ready to learn from a situation or the people around them at any time.
I do believe that society is still indifferent today. Indifferent means lack of interest or concern; no difference. Many Americans are in this kind of mindset about issues and that's why America will never change. While reading the speech “Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel, I observed that being “Indifferent was a negative thing. In his speech he states “Not doing anything makes you just as guilty as the “bully” hurting the “victim”. This means that by you not doing anything to make a situation better, you are just as much of a problem. This also means that if people ever want to see America change then they need to start caring and not being part of the problem. Everyone wants to live this “American Dream” but no one is doing anything to make this into a reality. Elie Wiesel also states “Indifference, then, it's not only a sin it is a punishment”. This means that it’s not only bad to not care but it’s really not fair to everyone else. Some people actually want to see a change in America and by some people not caring is only keeping America at the same level instead of helping us move up. Mr. Wiesel said this speech in 1999, this just shows that America hasn’t changed at all. This just shows that something needs to be done so that Americans can get the “Dream” that they have been working hard for. It’s time for a change, if not it's only going to hurt us even
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
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Death is universal, but various cultures have their own unique traditions. The Jewish culture has explicit rules which are steeped in tradition, and have significant meaning. The rituals are based on events from the Hebrew Bible.
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From the short story “The Dead”, Gabriel the character shows us how his point of view of a certain thing is seen. His wife has passed away and his attitude in the story is well seen as neutral.
Steen, R. Grant. DNA and Destiny: Nurture and Nature in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum Press, 1996.
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