Killer --thy name is Apathy

Have you ever found yourself in circumstances beyond your control ? I think we all have to some degree, and it can be quite disturbing, humbling actually when you happen to be a strong and determined, highly focused individual. Middle Ground, shades of gray.....these simplistic ideas are valid explanations for life's curve balls. It is exceedingly hard when an individuals nature is highly intuitive and eccentric. Life's proverbial sonata resonates within ,our interpretation and the melody is different for each of us. A round peg in a square hole theory , the general feeling of displacement.....our coping skills right down to personal beliefs can be tested.

It can be difficult when you are unique, and the world can appear to be illogical. I find that most people are looking for logic, reason, excuses , validating their behavior or lack of it.Why , if life is so short, do we waste such time and energy ? Nothing is completely black or white....mostly gray....talk is cheap, but time is not.We as individuals tend to take so much for granted.We use abuse and discard, never pausing to think about the aftermath. We need to address and do what we can to perpetuate the ebb and flow .. Apathy can be a killer, nothing can be resolved unless one makes a decisive step in a direction. Try to find some middle ground, hold tight.and persevere. Justice and fairness do not really exist in this day and age.We can only hope that life is gentle and considerate of your patience , confusion , and perhaps your pain. Nothing is easy or free, there is always a price to be paid...sometimes you may have to pay even when there are no funds available. If you plan to invest heavily in Hope, perhaps you need to ask yourself is there valid reason to substantiate ... before you bleed yourself dry.

Rudyard Kipling said it best:


"If"


If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about,don't deal in lies.
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good nor talk too wise.
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch- and- toss,
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing left in you
Except the will which says to them : "Hold On !"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving hands can hurt you,
If all men count with you ,but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run...
Yours is the earth and all that is in it,
And - Which is more- You will be a man my son !

Rudyard Kipling

~Try to find your middle ground, and hang-on.....even when there is nothing left within you.


Yours in the fire..
The Phoenix

Phoenix that is so profound! Though I think that middle age does take care of youthful idealism and absolutes. I definitely see life in many shades of gray now. Conversely sometimes life can take you off the beaten path and show you something so bright that you are be blinded by its brilliance. The secret is knowing when to take such things in, accept these precious gifts, take a chance and when to stick to the plan and muddle through.

And you're right. Some things have no explanation...they just are...That is where faith comes in...You take a chance, go with your gut and hope for the best...

There was a great quote in REM's "What's The Frequency, Kenneth," fifteen years ago: "Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy." To be fully engaged is to feel alive and passionate but some of what we would term apathy is just a calm "sitting out" of sorts. The timing may not be right for a variety of reasons.

Where apathy does harm is when it becomes too comfortable. When the moment arrives for action and commitment, one's old mental and physical energy remains dormant. You can see the world in shades of gray--I agree with this about 80 percent of the time-- but sometimes there is a stark, clear situation that needs quick attention before it could vanish forever. That is when a sense of justice has to be fought for --even if the fight is passive resistance-- to be preserved.

Stone....

Sometimes it is difficult to know when or what to fight for. The lines can and often do become blurred....by the time one is able to figure this out, well you could find yourself on life support....hahaha. Apathy is ones indifference to circumstances, and if one is indifferent then how can we as individuals address and react to any situation that may require our attention if we lack the ability to comprehend our own feelings? It is easy to bury your head in the sand,you know avoidance... while you silently pray for divine intervention....life doesn't work that way. The only promise any of us have is that; at best..it is messy and complicated.

I certainly agree with your statement below...right on target, well said-Bravo!

"Where apathy does harm is when it becomes too comfortable. When the moment arrives for action and commitment, one's old mental and physical energy remains dormant. You can see the world in shades of gray--I agree with this about 80 percent of the time-- but sometimes there is a stark, clear situation that needs quick attention before it could vanish forever. That is when a sense of justice has to be fought for --even if the fight is passive resistance-- to be preserved."

Well said Stone!

Pegasus...

You also made some valid and very insightful points. I am a big believer in fate, destiny as well as Hope....I frequently use the expression: "Hope springs eternal", but recently I have given pause and began to contemplate, at what point should one truly give up on hope ? Like I stated in my commentary:

"If you plan to invest heavily in Hope, perhaps you need to ask yourself is there valid reason to substantiate ... before you bleed yourself dry."

We all desire and need something or someone to believe in...but there should be some basis for this type of dedication and commitment to the idea and principal involved.