According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word ‘apathy’ means to behave in a way that shows no interest or energy, and an unwillingness to take action.
You may not like it but you are probably guilty of displaying apathy. When I say guilty, I use apathy as a bad word, and associate a negative connotation to it – because apathy is bad.
We’re not just apathetic to politics or social issues, but generally things around us. Do you see someone who might be struggling while they’re walking to class in the concourse? Maybe they’re having issues trying to tie their shoelace. Would you actually stop to observe, let alone stop to help?
Probably not.
It’s not because you’re a bad or malicious person that you refused to take action, and you may even attribute this to social norms for why you wouldn’t help – but it is precisely the apathy that drives us to not care about what happens in our surroundings.
Of course, the bigger problem lies in what this means for society – what happens in a world where we live without sympathy, empathy, or any semblance of engagement with others?
Why is apathy bad for us?
Apathy is bad for a few reasons:
1) It forces us into a vicious, perpetual cycle of apathy.
The state of inaction is the action taken by apathetic individuals. Often, we resort to doing nothing – why should we care about something?
Apathy traps us in an endless cycle of feeling this way, where we are unable to escape a circular reasoning where we do not have an investment or stake in it, and thus there is no real incentive or reason to care about it. The cycle continues, and there is no way to possibly stop it the moment that you enter the mindset.
2) It hinders your ability to express yourself.
Apathy makes us less likely to speak up, even if it’s the things that matter(ed) to us the most. After it has become a cyclical habit as part of our lives, it is now entrenched as a part of us.
We become apathetic to most things, and the need or want to step up, and do something about it is permanently removed. Humans are generally stupid, and we tend to prime ourselves into certain actions and behaviors.
The moment you take a step towards apathy, it’s hard to come back.
3) It makes you enjoy the good things less, and be unaffected by the bad things more.
After the "illness" has spread, you’re incapacitated. Your tolerance just becomes a short fuse where the things you used to enjoy perhaps no longer hit the same way.
This applies in the other direction too, where the worst tragedies happening in the world or to those around you just become another “part and parcel” of life that you’re willing to ignore.
You can no longer see the marginal utility or disutility in things, because why should you when it’s easier to block it out?
Why do we choose to not care?
Now you’re probably wondering, if apathy is so bad, then why do we choose to actively do it? This is a silly question because as a university student currently living in Asia, especially Singapore, you would know why.
1) There is perhaps a high barrier to entry.
In the same way that it is difficult to break this seemingly perpetual cycle, it is difficult to enter the opposite of what apathy is.
There is no clear antonym for apathy, so some words like empathy or compassion may come to mind. These sound emotionally exhausting and laborious just thinking about it – having to extend some time, effort, or labor, or any part of yourself to have to care about something.
It’s tiring, and it sounds like great work that requires you to take drastic steps.
2) Who has time for that?
Time is running out. We are always searching for more time – for ourselves, our friends, and those that we love.
Sometimes, it’s just better to disengage and deflect from reality. It is better to live in an escapist world where we no longer have to confront the fact that life is a ticking time bomb where an invisible stopwatch determines a countdown to the end of our lives.
Apathy seems like the fastest and most efficient way to get things done and get to the end of the road. This is definitely a hard one to argue against, given how mentally and physically stretched out we already feel.
Both of these reasons are incredibly unfortunate because there are lots of methods for us to actually have access to becoming less apathetic, if we take the first step.
The first step is definitely not easy and may be the most difficult one that requires us to overcome the state of inertia and inaction that we currently exist in.
Killing our Apathy
Here are a few steps on how you can kill your apathy.
1) Microdose
Do it in small steps. No one is forcing you to start big and become the next samaritan of Singapore tomorrow. You are not expected to give all of yourself.
But you owe it to yourself and to others in society to at least take small steps. This is what I mean by microdose. You must first be aware that it’s okay to take it slow, and to do it in increments so that you don’t burn out before you even get halfway through the ride.
2) Listen
There are learning lessons all around you. Every living day with people where you get to hear conversations and life stories is a blessing that you are privileged to have.
You get to listen to people’s lives, experiences, and everything they’ve gone through. You get to read about the ups and downs, peaks and troughs of someone’s hero’s journey through their life.
Listening is an essential skill and one of the biggest ways for you to stop being apathetic. You cannot ignore these problems the closer it gets to you – and the first step is just to make sure your ears are open.
3) Observe
Look around and you will see that learning takeaways are not just the slides that professors put on the deck. You get to see, feel, and observe the environment, conditions, and world that exists around you. It is a reminder of your aliveness, and how you get to experience the pain and suffering, as well as the happiness and joy that the state of being alive brings you.
The ability to observe and truly reflect, and have introspection, is what differentiates us from the common mammal. Make the best of it.
4) Speak up
You have a voice, many people in the world are not as lucky as you, so use it. Being afraid of speaking up is so 20th century. Now, we’re leaving it behind.
This is especially even more important if you’re someone who comes from a background of hardship, though the definition of hardship is really context-dependent on what you’ve been through.
But speak up, and make sure that you are heard. Don’t undermine yourself with “just”s and “maybe”s. The first word will feel scary, and you may squeak like a mouse. The next few words will not be easy either, but even if it scares you every time, you should always speak up.
Life gets better
Without apathy, life does get better.
Sometimes you may just cross the road and observe and listen to the sound of the cars honking, and this feels just somewhat comforting to know that the world around you still exists and is alive.
Apathy is going to be the death of us if we don’t change the way that we’re living life now – in futility.
Comments