Indifference...
Ambreen Khalid
Professional with several years of experience in Marketing, Business Development and IT. I am resilient with many areas of interest and a passion to learn and excel. I am an avid reader of books and an active member of book clubs and writing platforms. I have a keen interest in literature and poetry and I love nature which inspires me to write.
I have come to observe repeatedly, amongst the society at large, a lack of concern for fellow human beings. I have tried to decipher the reason for this apparent apathy which is often times hurtful, since it suggests an indifference to human suffering...
I have observed this phenomenon in all strata of society. The society's fabric is 'colored', ironically, by indifference – self-absorbed individuals who couldn't care less and callously put aside the suffering of people. Why is it coming more and more to my attention? Because of the fact that I am also experiencing it everywhere. It's like a predominant trait which has set in.
I attribute this trait of society to more and more attachment to material things/goods/products. Whilst it's good for business, this trait is eating away the family fabric and creating a world shorn of care, empathy, concern and kindness. It is creating a selfish and individualistic world wherein such concern reaps no benefits and it is better for that individual to invest his/her time earning more to own more products/services and luxuries. Such a trait might appear to be of benefit to the individual in the short term, but in the long term it is bound to have a horrifying result. Disjointed families, estranged relations and a robotic lifestyle. What would that reap in the future one can well imagine. No families, no relations, no human interaction at its very worst.
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference" – Elie Weisel
Obviously the result of apathy is even more apathy. The result of callousness is more callousness. While this might not have an immediate effect at the state level, at the individual level the results will be more immediate. How? It is simple. If I receive such an apathetic attitude when I am in distress due to any situation, I will give the same attitude back to the person when he/she faces the same sometime in life. And if that is the attitude of every other person in the society, links will break down. Nobody will come to the aid of anyone and that entails a chaotic existence if not a lonely one.
Consumerism and owning a flashy lifestyle – has it really eaten at the roots of values like concern, kindness and empathy? I can think of no other reason which comes to mind so obviously as this race for money and a desire to own things. More things, more luxuries, more vacations, more prestige. Does that imply more peace, more happiness and more love? No. Those do not come from owning things. They come from human emotions like care, concern, sympathy, trust, empathy, kindness, forgiveness, humility and the like.
The extent of apathy and callousness has increased manifold over the years. I question myself, why. Have we turned to stone? Or has life embittered us or have we become materialistic weighing relations in terms of money and contacts and who is more beneficial to have in our circle in terms of position / contacts / resources? The society is churning out more and more individuals who have a distorted sense of values and of ethics and I am wondering what all this will lead to...
Is the race for money really worth it? Will it buy us love, happiness and peace? Indifference is the opposite of love…I leave you with this thought...