Apathy - It's Deadly!!!
When They No Longer Care...
I have worked with youth for the past 30 years (many of whom have been at risk youth), in a variety of roles and capacities. And for the past 16 years I have been involved in the education sector here in Australia as a chaplain, special needs teacher, biology teacher and head of department - predominantly in the high-school context. Over those years I have seen an exponential increase in the level of apathy within the students. And those students graduate after Year 12, and go out into the world - with their apathy.
All of the students currently in the school system (around the world) have been born post 9/11 - all of them. So, now we have a generation that has grown up with unfiltered images of globalised conflict that are presented 24/7 via the internet.
Add to that the ever increasing exposure to unfiltered degenerate filth via a plethora of media services that are aimed at drawing the generations away from God, and godly morality.
And the end result is ‘Apathy’.
Apathy - according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is considered to be the lack of feeling emotion (impassiveness) and/or the lack of interest/concern (indifference).
What is of interest, and perhaps somewhat disturbing is that apathy - when searched on the internet - initially brings up many medical sites. One such site the Cleveland Clinic has noted the following…
“Apathy” is a term healthcare professionals use to describe a lack of goal-directed activity and motivation compared to previous behavior. It can also look like a lack of spontaneity, interest or emotional expression. Apathy is a symptom and/or complication of several neurological conditions. Some experts consider it to be a syndrome (a collection of symptoms that often happen together, but aren’t necessarily a specific condition). In everyday life, people often consider apathy to be the opposite of empathy (the ability to understand and share the feelings of others). However, in a medical context, apathy isn’t just a lack of feeling or concern toward other people and their situations. It’s a lack of motivation and interest in general."
What is sad to see is that apathy not only affects the person who is experiencing that - but there is a distinct flow on affect onto other people - which more often than not will have a negative impact on their lives.
Perhaps one of the most relevant scriptures that is found in the Bible that directly speaks against apathy and the heart condition of a person is that of Ephesians 4:17-19 which provides us with a warning when it says… “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Paul calls Christians to be separated from the thinking of their culture and of the non-believers. Paul asks us to walk a different path to those that do not believe.
Paul then indicates that the non-believers have a thought life that is futile - meaning that whatever stems from it is not only meaningless but comes to nothing.
The cause of the futility of their thinking is because of their spiritual and mental ignorance that is due to the blindness of their heart. This is a sin issue, and a heart issue.
The end point of this corruption is that the non-believer has now become ‘past feeling’ - this shows that apathy is a by-product of a sinful life.
Paul proves this by listing a few points of corruption - namely being lewdness, unclean living and greediness. These things are all evident in modern society to levels that would make a Roman blush.
It is interesting to note that in Matthew 24:12 Jesus himself noted that… “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
Apathy is more than a mental or emotional state - it is also a condition of a person’s heart. it is the fruit of the condition of our hearts. If we focus on ourselves in narcissistic, self-centred way, and soaked in our hubris - we become driven by what we desire, rather than what God desires for us, and for others. Therefore, a person will drift further and further away from the will of God, and will soak themselves in their own desires leading to an apathy towards people around them - only seeking to have their own desires gratified by others.
There is a distinct problem with this mindset, and heart condition and the prophet Jeremiah in 17:9 notes that “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
This is precisely what Satan wants - to have at the population of the world being as self-centred as Lucifer is - to have humanity focussed only on itself and not on loving and caring for others (which is the basis of being a righteous and godly person - and the heart of Jesus Christ).
Now the real tragedy occurs when Christians, the actual Body of Christ becomes apathetic.
The early church was known as ‘The Way’ - before the term ‘Christian’ had even been applied to it. The reason for this is because of the statement made by Jesus “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” in John 14:6. Their lives were focussed on living out life as an image of Jesus.
However, modern churches are trying to do it ‘their’ way, rather than holding to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) concept. Instead they focus on complex programs, and expensive advertisement and media campaigns to push their image and presence out into the community. The church reflects more of the world than it does ‘The Way’.
The church’s apathy is the result of not applying Romans 12:2 to the congregation and the members of the congregation. Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
When we as Christians live and immerse ourselves in the ways of the world, and set aside ‘The Way’ then it should be no surprise that our hearts will orient themselves towards our own selfish desires.
But we need to renew our minds (and therefore our hearts) by drawing close to Jesus, and to engage with the Holy Spirit - and step away from the world, and its desires which is pushes onto us.
Apathy in a Christian not only kills a person’s willingness to love and care for others, but also kills their spiritual connection to Jesus Christ. The Way of Jesus Christ was to be sacrificial and giving - not self-centred and narcissistic - so any condition of the mind and heart that a person decides to follow that is counter to that is not walking in the footsteps of Jesus, but rather is following the footsteps of Satan.
I pray that in these hard and unsure times that you place ALL of your faith in Jesus Christ who is “The Way - The Truth - The Life”. May you be steered clear of the darkness and apathy that is claiming much of the world.