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A RALLYING CALL TO DEFEAT OLD MAN APATHY

February 19th, 2011 by Michael Dyet

Hmmm, is it just the February blahs or are we in the early stages of an apathy epidemic?

I’ve been entertaining this question for some time now. It first occurred to me last December. I was in a long line-up at a Canada Post outlet in a large drug store. One person was particularly annoyed by the wait and demanded to talk to the store manager.

The store manager made his way to the area with an obvious chip on his shoulder. He brusquely advised the complainant that he was only allowed to have three staff at the outlet so there he was nothing he could do. The irate customer, who admittedly was being unreasonable, retorted: “You can just say there’s nothing you can do!”. The manager fired back with “Oh yes I can”, turned his back and walked away. His handling of the situation literally reeked of apathy.

I’ve run up against a similar attitude at the grocery store where I shop. There is a deli area where cooked food – chicken, rice, potato wedges etc – is available. The individuals working in this area are unabashedly apathetic. I’ve seen them walk past completely ignoring people waiting to be served. On other occasions, there is no one working that area and the people working adjacent areas refuse to help.

I could ramble on and detail other like situations. But I suspect you have your own examples. So what is behind this growing wave of apathy?

I believe it has a lot to do with the negativity and cynicism that has taken root. We’ve been through a debilitating recession from which the economy never fully recovered. Jobs were lost that never came back. The people fortunate enough to have kept their jobs are often expected to do more and more for the same pay.

The politicians don’t help. One of the political parties – I won’t stoop to name them. You know who you are! – is running a campaign of attack ads against Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. Even in an era where political mud slinging is commonplace, these ads set a new low in cynical, bash-the-other-guy politics.

What worries me is that apathy is a self-perpetuating state of mind. The more we feed it the faster it grows and the wider it spreads. It is bordering on epidemic proportions now and could cross that threshold very soon if we don’t take action against it.

Here’s the good news. Each and every one of us can do our part to stem the tide. Be polite to someone who slights you. Perform a random act of kindness. Smile at a stranger for no particular reason. Go out of your way to find something positive in the actions of others and praise it.

It is so very easy to succumb to ‘Old Man Apathy’. It takes effort, on the other hand, to be upbeat and affirming. In times like these, each of us has to take responsibility for brightening up our little corner of the world. We all exude an aura and we can choose to make it either positive or negative.

In metaphorical terms, we can choose to be “sun people” or “shadow people”. Let’s stop dwelling in the shadows and step into the light. Apathy may be pervasive but it has no defense against a cheery, in-your-face, isn’t-life-grand disposition.

We have the power. Let’s rally our forces and start a wave. There’ll be no stopping it if enough of us commit to the cause.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog. Visit www.smashwords.com to download a free preview of the e-book version.

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