Apathy and the Living Dead :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

unfeelingness and the Living DeadIts zipper to bump its frightful not to live. - Victor HugoThe word Apathy has its origin in Greek and literally means without feelings. Isnt that a description of the executed? That was what Victor Hugo was referring to when he wrote, Its nothing to die its frightful not to live. In other words, we should not be afraid of dying, but not living. The apathetic are alive, but without feelings, so they are not living. They are the living dead.Heres what the analyst Erich Fromm (1900-1980) had to say about the subject, ... In the 19th century the problem was that perfection is dead in the 20th century the problem is that man is dead ... He calls apathy a problem for a good reason. It is a double-edged sword that wounds both the apathetic and the society in which they live. For example, although thermonuclear weapons cannot destroy democracy, voter apathy can Such is the horrific forbid power of apathy. As the worlds leading democratic country, The U.S., prepares to go to the polls, voter turnout is expected to be about 36%. Wouldnt you call that a wakeup call?What is the campaign of apathy? It is often defeat and a sense of powerlessness that causes people to withdraw from life. However, the ultimate cause is their military posture, the way they react to the changing world. Lets take a look at a specific example.Jan has recently learned that her bon ton has been bought by another company. Within a month, she and her coworkers leave alone learn who among them will be hired by the new company and who will set down their business organizations. Overnight their sense of security has been shattered. They are experiencing apprehension and frustration. They feel that they grant lost control over their lives. They complain and disengage from activity. If the company doesnt care about me, why should I care about it? Whats the point of working when Im probably going to leave out my job anyway?This is an example of worker apath y. The staff has been reduced to a bunch of zombies. No one is doing their job. They are just putting in their time until that fateful day when they learn whether they have a job in the new company. There is one exception, however. And that is Jan. She is different. She has a different attitude and is living proof that apathy is not caused by events, but by our reaction to events.