Look Towards the World!
Elie Wiesel once said,
Indifference is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony, one does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor—never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.
In Hebrew indifference is l’hitalem. It is a reflexive verb. The root of the Hebrew word for indifference is olam, the world. The Hebrew suggests that the root of indifference is making oneself into the world. It is about making the world hidden and allowing the self to obscure our vision of others. When we only see our own problems, our own struggles, the world shrinks and we become indifferent to other people’s pains.
Social media pushes us into a never-ending loop of self-congratulation and self-affirmation. We inhabit worlds of agreement. We no longer read anything that is antithetical to our views, or associate with those who differ from ourselves. We leave group chats that offend us.
The world shrinks ever smaller until the self becomes the world. And we become increasingly indifferent to other people’s troubles and the world’s travails. Every pain, every suffering even those that occur on our own streets appear worlds away.
This week we read, “If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep go astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your peer. If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who the owner is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your peer claims it; then you shall give it back. You must not remain indifferent.” (Deuteronomy 22)
The Torah constantly reminds us that we must not ignore the stranger. We cannot ignore someone crying out in pain. We should not walk past the homeless person sleeping on the street. The entire world is our neighbor. We must not allow our neighbors’ needs from becoming hidden. Even our neighbor’s belongings become our responsibility. How much more so their pains!
The cause of indifference is to make ourselves into the whole world. The Torah’s demands serve as an antidote to indifference.
We must look away from the self and look towards the world. We must look into other people’s eyes. We must be attentive to their pain. Indifference is the greatest enemy.
Look away from the self. Look towards the world.