Apathy: absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
At Sangh Shiksha Varg this year, one of our bauddhiks was on "Challenges of the Hindu Samaj." The bauddhik was very interesting and very well delivered. We covered a variety of issues of the Hindu Samaj and tried to ascertain whether the issue is a local one, a national one or a global one.
We discussed issues such as conversion, divisions (within the samaj), "media bashing", political exclusion, modernisation and many more. We also proposed that another challenge is apathy. However apathy is not just a challenge itself, but it also the root cause for all of these other challenges still existing.
Apathy is an issue for the whole samaj, however it has it's roots at an individual level. This led me to wonder how apathetic I am. It is worth noting that apathy is not simply absence of emotion but it is also suppression of emotion. In my own case, I have found myself unintentionally being apathetic, when my actual intention was to remain calm. There is a fine line between calmness and apathy, and I going forward to make sure that I can remain calm, but be assertive, thereby being less apathetic.
However, to try and be less apathetic requires a change in mindset and attitude. This can only be brought about by reflection and by giving time to yourself to introspect and by committing yourself to this change. Being less apathetic requires action and being pro active. It requires commitment and emotion. It requires introspection and meditation.
"It is necessary for
the worker to sit in solitude daily in the mornings and night and
probe his mind. With a discerning intellect he must find out whether
any unworthy thought had entered his mind. If so, he should resolve
to throw them out, and become purer from the next day. He should
detach his mind from unholy associations and make it immersed in
thoughts concerning the chosen mission of his life. It is possible
that he succumbs to the same failings on the next day also. But he
need not despair. He should continue the daily self-searching and
assertion of his holy resolve. He will, in course of time, find that
his mind has become less prone to evil propensities and more attuned
to the noble impulses."
Param Poojaniya Guruji on the power of meditation.
very well put. In the US as well, I feel apathy is the root of all other challenges. There is no obvious negative consequence if one doesn't do sangh work but there are rather obvious negative consequences of not going to university, not getting a job, etc.
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