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Excerpt from In Search of Harmony
A book by Lori A. Parker, GCFP, SEP, Ph.D.
This excerpt is from Chapter 23: Embracing the Fire Within
"Indifference also affirms our powerlessness. More often than not, our indifference is merely a sign that we have simply given up -- that we feel powerless to get what we need -- that we feel unable to effectively respond to a violation of our rights or a violation of the rights of others -- that we are unable to respond effectively to our beliefs and values being compromised in a relationship -- in short, that we are powerless to effect a needed or desired change. It's simply much easier (and much less risky in the short run) to become indifferent than to take effective action on our behalf or on the behalf of others.
Some people, in an attempt to avoid the risk of taking effective action, simply fool themselves into believing that that they have 'transcended' certain needs and desires. This is particularly true for spiritual aspirants who view 'transcendence' as the ultimate 'goal' of their spiritual pursuits. For example, often spiritually inclined people tend to shun financial success stating to others (and convincing themselves) that they have 'transcended' the need for a more comfortable physical existence.
While that may well be true, the more likely reality, is that these individuals have merely sunken into a powerless state of indifference. They have merely avoided acknowledging their needs and desires in this area, because they feel powerless to satisfy them. The same is true in other realms as well. Some people believe that they have 'transcended' certain emotional needs, when in fact, they have simply settled into a state of indifference because they feel powerless to satisfy those needs.
On a personal level, indifference is a way to numb ourselves so that we don't have to experience the lack that we feel deep down inside. On a more global scale, indifference becomes a way to numb ourselves so that we don't have to feel helpless in the wake of the unspeakable injustices that occur every single day, in every city, state and country in the world. Indifference is a state of hopeless resignation -- not a state of transcendence. And it is a state that reinforces our feelings of powerlessness and leads to the festering anger that will undoubtedly manifest in our relationships -- a festering anger that may even manifest in a larger way -- on a societal or international scale."