Apathy

I've come to feel sad for the person who turns a blind eye to the pain that marginalized people groups such as Muslims, Jewish, Latinos, Blacks, Transgender, and other folks are experiencing in our society.

And yes, mixed in my sorrow there is anger. And that is my challenge. Anger is not bad, but I refuse to allow it to motivate a desire within me for retaliation. I'd rather it move me toward compassion.

To do that, I have to remember the days and plight of my own inability to empathize with those I didn't understand, which is just a more palatable way to say... those I did not take the time to know.

Apathy is a reaction. It stems from isolation and is empowered by fear. And it flowers into indifference.

When I realized my reactions were my choice, I began to choose to react differently.

Yet, even knowing my own experience of apathy, when innocent people are being hurt, empathy is not easily given to the ones who willfully ignore or shun instead of aiding those who are being mistreated and maligned by bullies.

In those times, I have to remember... if we cannot love our neighbor, we are showning we do not love ourselves.

And that is truly heartbreaking.

Although turning a blind eye is a pattern we get stuck in, our feelings do not have to remain frozen. We do not have to stay in that pattern. The truth is, it is a sorrowful condition when we find within ourselves the inability to love and show compassion for one another.

The best way to overcome apathy is to make a deliberate choice. Choose today to meet, get to know, befriend someone in one of the groups I've mentioned.

We have to allow friendship to move us from being frozen to being fluid. Brotherly and sisterly love (friendship) has an awesome affect on our souls. We hurt when those we care for hurt. We rejoice when they rejoice. We stand up for our friends. We are connected by our affinity toward one another.

Giving and receiving love are no small things. They have the ability to transform our lives.

To those stuck in apathy, I challenge you to go be a friend. I know you can. You are worth being loved and your love for others will bring healing to both you and them. I know this to be true because I've lived this. My apathetic heart was changed by my friendships.