Apathy and Action

(This is a journal entry I just completed for my writing project.)

“The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” Dante

Apathy angers me. I understand what leads people to that dangerous place… fear, disillusionment, a belief that the powers-that-be will never change. I have been there before. But, despite my fear that our country might be dominated by ignorance, I understand the necessity that I act, in hopes that others may follow my lead.

I have read parts of a book about the Holocaust (I think the title had something to do with the “common man), and the gist of it was the frightening reality that the people who became hardened Nazi soldiers began as common men. I then think on the human experiments, where researchers put everyday common folk to the test, to see how quickly and easily they could become torturers. The results were frightening as people willingly and obediently followed directions and shocked others to a deadly degree.

Back to now, back to my moral obligation to our world family, to our mother Earth, to my future children, to history in the making. Probably one of my biggest strengths, yet one of my deepest burdens, is the way I take on the weight of the world’s problems. My internal ache overtakes me, as I long for a way to make things right. How can we so easily venture into our hectic spoiled days, when humankind is hurting?

Because my mind can’t always handle this obsessive search for solutions that are beyond my ability, I have had to learn the art of taming my passion and the ability to approach problems practically. And so, I ask, what can I do? At this very moment in time, what power do I have to heal?

Action intimidates. It is certainly easier to let others do the worrying and the work. But, what if no one did the worrying and the work? Corruption would flourish, and humankind would suffer. I, for one, don’t want that on my conscience. And so, I will act.