The Dis-Ease of Getting Involved
When falsity is present, the easiest thing to do is to be silent and let falsity perpetuate. When a wrong is present, the easiest thing to do is nothing. When evil is present, the easiest thing to do is nothing and let the evil perpetuate. What does this produce? More of what we are not dealing with. The avoidance of this dis-ease is a "disease" (in a way) that inhibits us and has us not deal with falsity, wrongs and evil, letting it be.
We overcome the dis-ease when there is discomfort from being personally affected by falsity, wrong or evil. If it doesn't affect us much, then it's not as motivating to get us to do something about it.
It may be easy to let it go in the short-term, but not-so easy to have it around in the long-term as it grows to eventually affect us.
There is a cost-benefit ratio we calculate in getting involved in stopping or changing things that shouldn't be. The initial cost is to put in the time, energy and effort required to create a change to a condition. It's easier to not do that work.
But if something is personally affecting us in a negative way, it has a negative cost. This often motivates us to overcome the dis-ease and cost of doing something about it. The personal cost is of greater significance and salience in our personal lives to motivate us to care to do something.
This is a problem in dealing with issues in the world. For most of us, as long as we are in a geographical zone of comfort, ease and convenience, we don't care that much about what is happening outside of our little bubbles of reality. Unity among larger groups is diminished because we aren't invested in what happens outside of our geographical realities.
We don't want to get involved in the affairs of others. We don't want the hassle. We don't want to be hassled. We just want to live a nice, cushy, comfortable life of ease and convenience.
This type of thinking and living is a slippery slope. I'm reminded of the "First they came..." poem by Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
This was about the cowardice of German intellectuals to stand by and let the Nazi powers purge certain groups. All was fine as long as it wasn't them being targeted.
This is about thinking that as long as we're not personally affected in our little bubble of reality, then it's ok for bad things to happen to others and we don't need to get involved. But that isn't the optimal way for people to reciprocally cooperate for optimized survival.
This ideology ignores how we are all in this together, that we are like others, and all connected in a way. If we aren't willing to do something when others are being affected personally, why do we expect others to do something when we are personally affected?
If we all stick to only doing something when our personal lives are affected, then we all stand alone, watching idly as things happen to others. Unity comes when we stand together on principles, like morality which is the path and way to true unity. If we want things to stay morally good for us, we should be concerned to keep things morally good for others as well. That way things can get morally better for all of us, together.
Thank you for your time and attention. I appreciate the knowledge reaching more people. Peace.
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Thank you for being someone who cares about all of the terrible things happening "over there" out of your close circles. :) I truly respect you @krnel.
The amount of times I have heard “oh well it’s doesnt affect me” is just getting stupid now. I’ve been viewed as crazy by just trying to tell the truth, especially to family members. My sister for instance gives me the blankest of looks every time I tell her something real of true... she just gets angry and says “it doesn’t affect me why should I care” and that comment always really hurts me as I don’t know a way to get through to her...
I could not agree more with you and have even blogged on this. But how do we wake the sick, distracted, overfed, over medicated, over facebooked, sheeple? You are preaching to the choir. we need to reach the work place, ball stadiums, grocery stores, bars and everywhere else. How? You do a wonderful job @krnel.
Haha, your pace of releasing articles is absolutely stunning! You're effervescing with passion. :)
To your article:
Well, you hit it already. In order to bring forth the new, there needs to be a collapse of the old. We each each decide how we experience that change, yet most often chaos is likely, because Humans resist change. Many prefer clinging to the status quo instead of instigating change, simply because instigating change without first necessitates change within. "As within so without" goes the hermetic wisdom. So the external is reflecting back to us where we still need to heal inner duality, which means that when we don't have empathy and compassion for others we primarily don't have it for ourselves.
The Universe has its own order, and the best way to take control of it is to not take control of it.
Thank you:)
the one who feels pity has an implicit negation of empathy inside when he declares that he would not like to be in the other's place... this generates distanced, humiliating attitudes and reinforces in the other the feeling of incapacity and lack of courage to face the difficult situation in which he finds himself.
compassion, on the other hand, requires empathy towards the pain of the other. And to be empathetic we need to put ourselves at the level of the other... understand their problem as if it were with us, as we enter the universe of the difficulty of another with compassionate eyes, we automatically believe that there is a fully attainable solution, reinforcing the self-esteem of our fellow man.
A few years ago, I spent two months walking around the area I live in collecting signatures for a petition to 'persuade' the water company to distribute water more equitably. A few people refused to sign, citing fear of possible repercussions. Hardly anyone turned up for a meeting which the press attended.
The distribution improved after the story was aired - but for only one month. And it was back to business as usual. Worse, actually. Were we being punished for having the audacity to speak out?
And humans being what they are, some people actually had the gall to ask me to organize another petition, promising that they would not only sign, but that they would come to any meeting called next time.
Even "when there is discomfort from being personally affected by falsity, wrong or evil ", we don't act.
All for One. One for All. That is one of the most important "memes of empowerment". Speaking Truth boldly to confront falseness is another. Thank you for blogging about this.
Curated for #informationwar (by @wakeupnd)
Relevance: Sharing the truth.
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The amount of times I have heard “oh well it’s doesnt affect me” is just getting stupid now. I’ve been viewed as crazy by just trying to tell the truth, especially to family members. My sister for instance gives me the blankest of looks every time I tell her something real of true... she just gets angry and says “it doesn’t affect me why should I care” and that comment always really hurts me as I don’t know a way to get through to her...