If apathy is the problem…what is the solution?
As a distraught and confused teenager in the 1960s, I held the patent on apathy. By the time I was 17, I had barely graduated high school and lived in my car. My wife, Most Beautiful One (MBO), recently recalled that my mantra during those difficult times was, “Whatever…who cares…go f**k yourself.” Needless to say (but I will anyway) this didn’t endear me to most of the people I encountered. I still wonder what MBO saw in me.
A little before her 18th birthday, we ran away and eventually ended up living on a friend’s porch in Venice, California, subsisting on brown rice and lentils. We still laugh about when she learned that boiling two very large glasses of rice in a small pot was excessive!
Meanwhile, we continued going to peace concerts and anti-war protests genuinely believing we could change the world. But my depression and MBO’s desire for a more productive life caused a lot of grief.
Fortunately, several months later, we encountered a refreshing perspective on global and personal problems. This is expressed concisely by Daisaku Ikeda’s encouragement that,
“A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind”.
This rekindled the precious hope we had lost.
When confronted with health, relationship, or spiritual issues, we try to remember that ‘we can make a difference!’ We’ve discovered this is especially important when national or world events threaten to overwhelm us.
Earlier this year we cancelled cable television so we wouldn’t be tempted to feast on repetitive newscasts. We still know what is happening around us but choose not to inundate ourselves with it. Instead, we remind ourselves that when constructing a sturdy wall, each brick is crucial. The same is true of building a more peaceful world. So, we continue to consistently chant, exercise, talk to our therapist and reach out to family and friends.
When we’re tempted to retreat from interacting with others, we return to Ikeda’s encouragement:
“Dialogue challenges us to confront and transform the destructive impulses inherent in human life. I earnestly believe that the energy generated by this courageous effort can break the chains of resignation and apathy that bind the human heart, unleashing renewed confidence and vision for the future.”
This inspires us to continue to fulfill our unique purpose in life. After all, my new motto is: “It matters…we care…go hug yourself!”
