Indifference and Apathy: Disease of the Spirit

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity." -- George Bernard Shaw

Hate is the other side of love and shows at least energy and passion. Probably most of us feel surges of hate at some time or another, especially toward those we love the most. We can deal with this if we realize that these moments will pass and be forgiven.

But indifference and apathy can become a disease of the spirit so pervasive that their darkness envelops everything. Then life is stifled and throttled at the root. If we don't value the people around us, they will feel our lack of caring as striking at the heart of their humanity. If we have no time for life, then life and those close to us will drift away from us.

The world is a place of splendor and love. We can connect with it if we reach out beyond self-concern and replace indifference and apathy with the energy of living and loving.

I Can Be Myself in Public and Private - Especially with Those I Love

I love acting. It is so much more real than life. - Oscar Wilde

Many of us have gotten used to playing a part. I know that for me, I sometimes hesitate to reveal my innermost self because I may have felt ashamed of who I really am. We can go through life with our true selves hidden by the masks of our false selves. Some form of dis-ease has compelled us to be false, and we may have even taken pleasure in playacting. It may have made us feel good at times to know we’re deceiving everyone around us, including our friends and loved ones. There were times when I am certain I fell in love with my own cleverness.

Eventually, if you’re like me, we become tired of being someone else. Our lovers, partners, our children and our friends became confused and hurt by our games and our inconsistency. They long to know us as we really are. As we gain the courage to get to know and love ourselves, we can drop our masks and let ourselves be seen and know and loved by others. Our lives, and theirs, will be richer.