Apathy : A Death Wish

Apathy: A Death Wish "Science may have found a cure for most evils: but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all--the apathy of human beings." Some might think that when Helen Keller spoke those words, she was talking about some weird disease in an exotic place that affects people in the slums. Or probably a flaw found in the mentally ill. She was not talking of a disease or a problem that affects only one group of people, but one that affects society as a whole. Apathy is not some dreaded illness that attacks only the weak. Apathy is instead a base part of humanity, one that we as a people would rather not admit to, even as it stares us in the eye. What is apathy? Why is it such a hated word, such an awful state to be living in? Quite simply, apathy is indifference. Apathy is not so much a physical issue, nor is it merely a symptom of boredom, as it is a problem within our spirit. It is a collapse of the will to vigorously press forward under the burdens of contrary forces and constant repetition of tasks until we either no longer care about activities or their outcomes, or we mechanically go through the motions in a state of sleepwalking where we perform the tasks necessary but are not really consciously involved as we ought to be. Apathy is indifference to the sufferings of others. Apathy is indifference to the happenings of the world around the individual. Apathy is indifference to anything that does not directly affect that specific human being, or his surroundings. Apathy is remaining neutral in the face of adversity if the problem does not directly concern that person. Apathy has always been the shame of humanity, and will continue to plague us until we realize that our minute lives are not all that matters in this world.
Apathy comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. We come across apathy or indifference almost every single day of our lives. We have encountered them in all of the articles that we’ve read in class. But have you ever wondered why? Why do people become indifferent when others need them the most? Why do people just watch from a distance if others are in danger? In the article Thirty- Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police, Martin Gansburg gave us details that could probably answer that question, Lack of knowledge, fear and selfishness.
People were uncertain of what was happening. People didn’t help because they thought it was just a normal argument.
"We thought it was a lovers' quarrel.” 129
Couples do fight, sometimes when they do, it becomes verbally violent, and that’s what some of the neighbors thought. Some of them just gave themselves an assumption of what was really going on. Therefore we have lack of knowledge. Second is fear. People clearly stated that when investigators interviewed them. “Frankly, we were afraid” 129
“I didn’t want my husband to get involved.” 129
Fear of the fact that if they tried to get involved, their loved ones or they personally will be in jeopardy. They were protecting themselves and their families from the violence that was happening outside their homes. That is somewhat understandable, but some people didn’t care about what was happening around them because all they cared about was their welfare. It did not involve them so it did not matter.
"I was tired," he said without emotion. "I went back to bed." 129

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Their selfishness gave other people the chance to take somebody else’s life. They turned a blind eye on somebody who needed their help.
In the second article “Who Killed Benny Paret?” by Norman Cousins, we encountered the other type of apathy, the kind where people let the wrong thing slide because it is accepted by the society. The article was about boxing and people who watch it. It was also about people who didn’t do anything considering the fact that a person died because of it. When you think about it, boxing is about putting two men in a ring and whoever gets hurt the most loses. People pay to see that happen. I could only come up with two reasons. One is that people see it as mere entertainment. Two, is due to the money it involves.
People think it’s alright because it’s part of the “entertainment industry”. People forget that it boxers are real people who get real injury. When a boxer gets hit in the face and has blood gushing through his forehead, people will still continue to cheer him on until his opponent falls on the ground and gets knocked out.
“The time the crowd comes alive is when a man is hit hard over the heart or the head, when his mouthpiece flies out, when the blood squirts out of his nose or eyes, when he wobbles under the attack and his pursuer continues to smash at him with pole- axe impact. “ 340
Since boxing is considered to be a source of entertainment, and entertainment is business, and business is money, the second and last reason is wealth hunger. People who have the power to stop this anomaly wouldn’t do it because it gives them an unending source of money. According to Mike Jacobs, a prize-promoter, it will always be about pleasing the crowd. Sanchez 4
“You put killers in the ring and the people filled your arena. You hire boxing artists- men who are adroit at feinting, parrying, weaving, jabbing, and dancing, but who don’t pack dynamite in their fists- and you wind up counting your empty seats. So you searched for the killers and sluggers and maulers.” 339
"The world is a dangerous place to live;" said Albert Einstein, "not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it." Whether it is ignorance, fear, selfishness, entertainment or money, we shouldn’t let apathy get the best of us. What people don’t realize is that apathy is like death in its own form. We shouldn’t let it kill us by turning a blind eye to people who need our help. We need to take sides and stand up for what’s right. Apathy and neutrality oppresses the victims, and silence encourages their tormentors. We are guilty of complicity in the suffering of others when we are indifferent to their pain. People who say that there is no cure to apathy are wrong. There is a cure, involvement.