The Perils of Indifference

     Somewhere amongst the lists of new spelling words and piles of math drill sheets there comes an assignment that matters even more for so many reasons.  Emily came home with such an assignment.  She has to pick a famous historical speech and deliver a portion of it to her peers.  She had already heard a buzz from classmates about Kennedy, King and many others.  So together we went through various lists and subjects searching for something that she approved of.  We came across Elie Wiesel's story of struggle, strength, horror and hope.  He takes with him a piece of history in which to teach a child just an introduction to the darkest of men in the most tragic of events...and the lives that were changed for all generations to come.  But beyond the historical facts and figures there are lessons about human life and the emotions that bind us together whatever our backgrounds, religions, challenges and triumphs...

 "In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony, one does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response.

Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees -- not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity we betray our own.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment. And this is one of the most important lessons of this outgoing century's wide-ranging experiments in good and evil."

     We read it together and I explained the tricky theme of indifference.  I saw her eyes widen as she grasped this seemingly simple yet difficult concept.   I returned to each line and broke them down for her with explanations.  The more I read and analyzed the more brilliant each line shone upon my computer screen.  "Anger can at times be creative."  I reminded her of the musician who writes their best pieces after heartbreak and literature that has been birthed from the worst tragedies.  We discussed how hatred and anger are so powerful that they can move people to make the biggest of changes.  In a strange moment yesterday on my way home from work I sang a line of lyrics that strikes me every time..."The opposite of love is indifference".  It was as if time froze for a moment and pointed out what would happen only a few hours later.  Indifference has found me many times in my life.  I knew in those moments it was time to let go of something or that it was time to move on from something or someone that had let go of me.  We continued to talk about historical moments that have changed us all and the ones that we should always remember.  Holding onto an honored memory is as powerful as holding onto a piece of something...either way it is not forgotten.  Taking historical accounts and transferring them to a place of a child's understanding is often difficult but his words made it clear.  He gave us a history lesson, taught us things, made us feel empathy and found ways to bring us all under one umbrella of humankind...and that is what makes a great speech. This mother is grateful for the opportunity to use his eloquence for a conversation with her child that would change them both forever.