Apathy
"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 whenHelen Keller spoke those words, she was talking of some exotic disease that affects people in the slums. Or that she was speaking of an abnormality that can be found only in the mentally unstable. Those who believe those falsehoods are truly mistaken. 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 blatantly in the face. 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 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 bee
Apathy is also an integral part of human nature. It's part of human nature to be vain and to only care about issues that pertain to ourselves. Therefore apathy towards things that have naught to do with us is normal. People should have opinions on subjects and problems that are everywhere, not just in our own backyards. People should care about the starving people in Ethiopia, and the dolphins that are being made into sandwiches. People should not be indifferent to the suffering of others. Apathy is a shameful part of humankind, but it's also one that mankind has learned to live with. Until people learn that the universe does not revolve around their little lives, they will continue to be indifferent to that which has no direct effect on them. Since humans are not likely to have such insights in the near future, apathy will be a somewhat shameful part of humanity for a very long time. The country's youth today are apathetic. A recent study in the Baltimore Sun polled over one hundred teenagers between the ages of fourteen and nineteen to find out their knowledge of current event issues. It was found that only fifty-eight percent of the teens could explain the situation in Iraq, while eighty-three percent could name the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein. It was inferred that many teens remembered his name because of Desert Storm in 1991. They remembered Hussein and Desert Storm because the situation had something to do with them. They remembered because therewere Americans fighting in Iraq, fighting for them. They remembered his name because they cared about the situation. They did not have an apathetic view of the matter. In time, depending on the escalation of the Iraqi situation, more teenagers will be able to explain exactly what is going on in that particular situation. Apathy is rampant in today's societ
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Approximate Word count = 1245
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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