By Lida Prypchan
Apathy and Insensitivity: Common Denominators in Society Today
Apathy and insensitivity are characteristic of our time. Much of the population lives in such a state. A climate of dissatisfaction can be seen everywhere, and the clearest symptoms of this void are nostalgia for times past, a remembrance of old moments. So men appear with their opinions: some say that we lack faith, others claim that we lack art. But wiser was he who said, “we suffer from a lack of happiness. And happiness, the longing for a better life, joviality, is hampered by having haste as the principle and foundation of our lifestyle. We’re in such a hurry, or better said, haste has taken such a hold of us, that it has absorbed even our scarce moments of leisure. And those who believe that they have those little moments of leisure will sooner or later find themselves spending those moments in such a rush that they will not be differentiated from our work. The motto of our time is: “More, faster…”
The logical consequence is the steady increase of pleasure and the progressive decrease of happiness. This pleasure leaves its mark on men: feverish faces and glazed eyes.
And who has the universal prescription for such a deplorable situation? Fortunately or unfortunately, no one. But an old phrase can be of some use to us. The phrase reads: “Moderated enjoyment is twofold enjoyment. And do not neglect small joys.”
Moderation and the ability for enjoyment assume a return to things that are atrophied in modern life. These things are: a certain store of serenity, love and poetry. What happens to the little joys is that they are scattered in everyday life and our dulled senses fail to perceive them.
It is through our eyes, that inexhaustible source of delight, that we have our daily contact with nature. We should remember, when we come across something beautiful, to stop to admire it and soak it up. That joy will last us all day. Slowly and effortlessly, the eye will be the mediator of various small sensations. As we go about educating them, through them we will be able to capture the myriad graces of daily living. The rest comes alone. The important thing is to open your eyes.
Beautiful things are seen when one is willing to look, when you feel tenderness through nature. It is the little joys and not the large ones that renew us every day.
