REV DAVID FAREY: Say no to apathy, let's have a bit more passion!

The other day I was chatting to someone who was going around Hailsham door knocking as part of the election campaign.
David Farey SUS-160113-102615001David Farey SUS-160113-102615001
David Farey SUS-160113-102615001

She was telling me that the response of people was less than enthusiastic; in fact it was downright depressing! It wasn’t that they had a hostile reception, it was the apathy.

For those willing to enter into conversation on any issue raised there was a response of disinterest and showing clearly that they simply weren’t bothered.

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They were quite comfortable and that as far as they were concerned the problems faced by other people were not of interest to them.

There is the slightly humorous, self-fulfilling comment which says that the problem with modern society is apathy, but then, who cares?

That is the problem though. If apathy is firmly rooted then even to have it pointed out is totally ineffective because people are too apathetic to bother!

It is like saying to someone who is severely depressed to pull themselves together. You are beaten before you start.

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Apathy doesn’t just impact politics either. Churches also face the problem.

We have a message which strikes at the very heart of our being. The Church offers access to Heaven itself, but not everyone can get there. The entry requirement is faith, both the simplest thing and hardest thing to attain.

But the majority of people fail to engage with what is required simply because they see their present lives as okay and to try and imagine what will happen as the last breath is drawn is beyond them. They would rather accept whatever they can take now and ignore the future.

What we need is a bit more passion! We all have perhaps met someone with a real passion for a subject. They come alive when they start talking about it, becoming animated and excited. I have been privileged to meet people who have set up and run charities, touched by the plight of others. They are vocal and militant in defending the rights of these people and tireless in working to help alleviate their suffering.

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This sort of passion is as contagious as apathy, for that’s the problem. It’s like when someone in a queue or some such ad hoc gathering starts to have a moan about something. It is amazing how quickly the others join in. People quickly descend to the lowest common denominator and suddenly it’s an epidemic! But it can take just one person who possesses a bit of passion in their soul to speak out and it can both silence the negatives and start to inspire those around them!

So come on people, let’s have a bit more passion!

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