“Fear is better than apathy because fear makes us do something.” – Emiliano Salinas
“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.” – Helen Keller
APATHY – means lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. It’s from the Greek apatheia ‘without feeling’ or a- ‘without’ + pathos – ‘suffering.’ A synonym is indifference – lacking sympathy: feelings of pity or sorrow for someone’s misfortune; common feeling, or understanding between people. With apathy, the subject matter isn’t important enough to sway us even to opinion, much less to action. The Stoics taught it was virtuous to have a state of mind not disturbed by passions and free of emotion, particularly about external things one could not control. Stoicism seems to have crept into Christianity again. We’re losing the Way of Jesus, whose compassion moved Him to the Cross and all manner of suffering and feeling for our sake.
Nowadays it’s convenient on so many issues, not to openly make the statement, but to inwardly hold the posture, “I don’t feel, and neither do I care to.” Whether we’re talking about our own inner healing, reconciling broken relationships, turbulent global politics, child poverty and hunger, social injustice, racism, or any of the pressing issues of the day...we Christians who are supposed to be known for LOVE and compassion as identifying marks (John 13:34:35) have turned apathetic. Christ, our High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, (Hebrews 4:15) runs toward us and bears our suffering and grief. (Isaiah 53:3-12) His disciples have sadly moved past feeling to a numb and regrettable nonchalance. We no longer care as we once did.
Some of us are like the Stoics. We’ve developed a don’t ask, don’t tell philosophy; and believe that has shielded us from having to be sensitive, especially to painful or out of control situations. For others, apathy comes because we’ve grown weary in well doing. (Galatians 6:9) The trials, delays and disappointments have overwhelmed us. Will due season will ever come? People are really suffering waiting for YOU to intervene. Lord forgive and cleanse our apathy. Help us feel and care again!
SUNDAY WORSHIP 11:00 AM
The GREAT ROOM
SUNDAY CLASSES 9:30 AM Youth Room
225 Wyoming Ave. Cincinnati OH 45215
(Presbyterian Church of Wyoming) 513-212-1131
