A personal level of Apathy

from JoeUser Forums
I can see the abundant lists of discussion topics buzzing with points and counterpoints and for the first time in a really long time I'm choosing not to join. Anyone who knows me knows how opinionated I am, or rather that I enjoy having my say at anything I can claim some knowledge of or experience with. But I've definitely been inflicted with a strong dose of apathy. I still feel the same way I do about many issues political and otherwise but I'm not half as intent on sharing with everyone else at this point.

This is not to say that I don't wish I had a greater drive to seek some greater social change but I think my focus is more on a personal level. This may largely be a reflection of my job. I work with elementary school kids all day in a before/after school program. Though far reaching policies are important to protect kids overall what it really comes down to is spending a little bit of individual time with each child and as anyone knows who has ever worked with kids, played with kids, or been a kids themselves, different kids require different amounts of your time and energy.

So now I'm looking for someone who can share a little bit of their time and energy to focus on me in return for my own, and at $13/hr mine doesn't come cheap, but if she's cute and can pull me out of this apathetic or rather, pathetic hole maybe I can look past the price.

But for now I'm taking a step away from trying to get all of these rich assholes to be better people to the world and focusing on just trying to be a better person to the people I see day in and day out. At my focus right now shows much more progress than trying to change the world $80 billion at a time.

3,156 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Good outlook! Here's a quote for ya:

"And now here I lie on my death bed and realize that if only I'd change myself firt, then by example I may have influenced my family, and with the encouragement and support I may have bettered my country, and who knows---I may have changed the world."

I don't know who said it, but I wrote it down in my journal many years ago and it is what I thrive on. :)

I understand what you mean by not wanting to join in the discussions because WHAT'S THE POINT? I mean really, the human mind is so stubborn (including mine) that we can talk until we're blue in the face but it will all be in vain. People aren't going to change until they want to.

Trinitie
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Nevertheless, with the plight in schools currently, we should hear from teachers politically on what can be done about the crisis. Suspectkted seems on target in referring to the need for individual instruction, which has been lost in NCLB.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
This is a good article. Personal is good.
A man came upon another on the beach one day. The second man was walking along, looking down, then every few feet would bend down, pick something up out of the sand, and toss it into the ocean. The first man asked the other what he was doing. The second man replied, “I am saving starfish”.

The first man was incredulous. “Are you kidding?? There are too many! What are you going to do? Spend all day and night out here tossing starfish back into the ocean? You will never save them all. And anyway, in the grand scheme of life, they are just starfish. It doesn’t matter if they live or die”.

The second man scooped another starfish up from the sand, considered it briefly, then hurled it into the ocean. “It mattered to that one”.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I always did like that story. Since I'm a sociologist I've always been in a bigger picture mindset, now if I can find a good balance between the personal attention and aiding the overall societal focus I'll be a lot more balanced myself. Thanks guys.

-Suspeckted
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I appreciate the focus on being a better person to the people you pass daily. So often, courtesy, manners and politeness are kicked to the curb to streamline and speed up a day, for lack of a better description. That's a start.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't even wish everyone would go out of their way to be nice, I just wish a lot of people would just stop being oblivious to how inconsiderate they are...myself included.