Apathy

So recently I’ve given a lot of thought to something a friend put on her blog. She was asked in one of them there “interviews” what she thought was the biggest problem in the world. Her response was apathy. Granted had she not have explained what that meant, I’d been hitting www.dictionary.com like I find myself OH too frequently visiting (I’ll admit, I’ve always sucked with big words…HA!)

So…apathy…well she said, “people do not care… about anything…Just get an opinion! If you are for something, be for it! And if you’re against something, be against it!” I’m not completely sure if this is what apathy means, but my interpretation of what she says is that people who are apathetic are people who don’t pick a side in issues, such as people who don’t claim to be against abortion or for abortion, people who don’t claim to be for guns or against them either. I suppose people who claim the middle ground, they don’t pick a side.

I could be wrong, and maybe that isn’t what apathy is but if it isn’t, then I’m not going to be talking about apathy in this blog anymore…I’m going to be talking about the middle ground syndrome…HA!

I’m a middle ground person a lot of the times. And I suppose I think it is this “apathy” business that she was talking about because many times I find myself when confronted with these topics saying to myself, “I don’t care….just whatever.” I suppose a lot of times I just figure if it doesn’t directly relate to me, then why get in others ways. Like for example…with gay marriage. I’m not gay, so it doesn’t directly affect me. So why should I get in the way of gay people and say I think they shouldn’t be able to get married if I don’t have an overall problem with the whole idea?

I don’t really pick sides in a lot of those “big controversial issues.” Gay marriage. Guns. Politics. Probably most of the other ones that I just can’t think of right now.

The one that I can tell you I do take a side in is abortion and that is just because I have a passion for life and so I’ve always been pro-life.

I think the idea that I’m a not so passionate, over-the-top, type of person who is normally laid-back keeps me from being so “into” issues.

About the only times where I’ve gotten frustrated with the idea that I’m a middle ground kind of person is when I’m faced with papers I have to write for school when I have to pick a side…HA! Even with those…I just argue one side and appear to claim it, whether I do or not in real life…HA!

I was thinking earlier while in the shower and I came to the idea that I’m not really the kind of person to go around saying something is “right” or “wrong.” I mean who am I to say what is right or wrong? Yes, there might be activities or behaviors that I would choose not to do, or that I don’t agree with, but even then, that doesn’t make it “wrong.”

In a sense I suppose to me, I view taking a side when looking at an issue is almost like saying the other side is “wrong.” And normally, that is what many of the passionate protestors for issues say, “It’s wrong to believe _____,” when they are referring to the other side.

Whatever the case, in addressing this individual’s earlier blog comments and her response to apathy…I think it all boils down to the idea that middle ground people just drive strongly passionate people insane…HA! As can be seen from her words, “Just get an opinion,” it is apparent that one not choosing a side is frustrating. Those who are totally passionate about something don’t understand how someone can not be so passionate about such an issue. In a sense it is kind of like trying to get a person who is a firm believer in God to try to view life as if there wasn’t a God, it’s hard for them to do and to understand how someone could not believe in a God or how someone could live a happy and hopeful life without God.

So, is apathy, or I suppose the real question is, is being in the middle on issues all that bad? Is that what one of the biggest problems in the world is?