Indifference is Futile

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.
— Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Indifference is Elie's Effigy and the Opposite of Hate — a planksip Möbius Worth Mentioning

Indifference is Elie's Effigy and the Opposite of Hate

Indifference is Futile

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.
— Martin Luther (1483-1546)

The titled responsion is "Indifference is Futile." To understand the reference, you really need to understand Elie Wiesel's concept that the opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. Now the futile resonance should emerge as something worth thinking about.

Martin Luther - planksip
Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, and monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
planksipMartin Luther
What does Martin Luther have in common with other past intellectual giants? Find out on planksip.

I don't mean to elevate Elie over Martin and so let's spend a little more time on what was not said; it's my responsibility as a writer and quite possibly your responsibility as a thinker.

The biggest issue I can think of that is not discussed is overpopulation and what to do about it. Of course, the issue emerges from the context of climate change and the possibility of biodiversity collapse. Indifference to human suffering is simply a result of the staggering number of people on this planet. Last time I checked our global population was at 8.9 billion. What if we simply don't have enough resources to provide everyone with the necessities and basic dignity that they deserve?

Indifference is the Litmus Test

No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.
— Adam Smith (1723-1790)

As the titled responsion indicates, indifference by the few about the many is something that makes society sickly.

Testing for indifference is not necessary; the results are self-evident and divide society. As noted in the above meme, the reference to Elie's Effigy is a reference to Nazi concentration camp survivor and author Elie Wiesel, who said,

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
Adam Smith - planksip
Adam Smith was a Scottish economist, philosopher and author as well as a moral philosopher, a pioneer of political economy and a key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment.
planksipAdam Smith
What does Adam Smith have in common with other past intellectual giants? Find out on planksip.

The poor and miserable indicate a failure of the state, personal responsibility or both. Most likely, a combination of both is this current political approach. Is there a better way? Snip away!

The scissors will provide the snip, snip, but it's up to you, my friend to decide what to parse. Prosperity lies on the other side of what is purged.

Indifference

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.

One of John F. Kennedy's favorite quotations, which he attributed to Dante, was;  

The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.
— Oct 17, 2010

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies. To be in the window and watch people being sent to concentration camps or being attacked in the street and do nothing, that's being dead.
US News & World Report (27 October 1986)[1]

  1. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel ↩︎

Indifference is Elie's Effigy and the Opposite of Hate - a planksip Möbius Worth Mentioning

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