Apathy Calcified

What do I care?

Seeds of apathy are within us.

I have long wanted to do a page on Apathy, and its debilitating effects. For now, I am trialling this page name, 'til a better one comes along.

What is Apathy?

A defense mechanism that enables you to live or work in a society or organization that is hopelessly dysfunctional. You can't do anything about it; your only options are (A) go tilting at windmills or (B) JustStopCaring. Natural selection favors (B).

Apathy has a positive aspect as well

It is a powerful anaesthetic. I once read that medical personnel in battlefields deliberately adopt an "uncaring" attitude to avoid BurnOut. This way, they could continue to function and end up saving more people than people who behaved otherwise.

Having said that, be mindful this is an addictive drug and administered improperly, it could permanently immobilize the person, or turn a soul into stone.

What proven methods exist to reverse the damages of Apathy in our personal lives?

Why should I care?

The answer depends on what motivates you.

What is the difference between ignorance and apathy?

I don't know and I don't care.

Close enough to Apathy???

Is Indifference Apathy?

I think indifference can be a result of "lack of knowledge -> Ignorance" and is separate from Apathy, with similar outcomes. Two further points are:

If a person/an organization actively shut out knowledge, that would be SelfDeceit, and is much closer to Apathy that the above.
Indifference to smaller (e.g. non life-threatening) issues are sometimes even desirable, especially if we accept we live in an age of AttentionEconomy.

Related to WikiCommunity. Is TragedyOfTheCommons really an issue of Apathy?

Not really, because caring about it doesn't solve the problem. Everybody cares; it's just that the tangible costs and benefits for each individual are skewed in favor of inaction.

Relevant Quotes

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good man do nothing.

Edmund Burke

First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing. Then came the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up for me.

Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

Devils are those who do evil, or prevent others from doing good, or who do nothing at all.

Unattributed quote appearing on the front of the Washington Post Book section about Francisco Goya, 2004-01-25.

Things to do and actions to take

Well, how about collecting information from the web about ways to combat Apathy, and share it here with other people? Maybe a new page, suitable for CategorySelfImprovementPatterns, will grow out of collaboration efforts of people here.

So, what would you call someone who subscribes to the idea that apathy is the answer? An Apathite?

A coworker of mine calls these people Pieces of Apathy. Actually, he calls people Pieces of Apathy all the time and often for no good reason.

Umm...why do you quote someone that you think says things "for no good reason"? I suspect you were aiming at some kind of irony, but I think it needs amplification, to be clear to your audience.
Let's see if this is what is meant:
- "A coworker of mine calls these people Pieces of Apathy, even though some of the time, this isn't true." or
- "A coworker of mine is incorrect in calling people Pieces of Apathy, when some are clearly seeking answers."

I started reading this page but I cant be bothered to read all of it :-). Forget the self-pity and the awfulising. Apathy is contagious, snap out of it, go and do something fun or interesting and the apathy disappears. You can't pick a scab better. Sheesh

CategoryAntiPattern