Playwright Bertolt Brecht said GOOD about apathy:
Beautiful, right? Just a little antagonistic. I remember someone telling me in college: "It hurts to be accused of apathy." Got it, buddy. It can be frustrating to be able to immediately ease apathy due to our lack of position on things. With all our worries - work, family, love, etc. - sometimes there really is no time to reflect and act in accordance with what is happening in society. But there are also people who just don't want to get involved in any political issue.
A common argument is "we have a different way of serving people." It is often mentioned to pay the corresponding taxes and obey the traffic regulations. "Being a law-abiding citizen is our form of subversion," they said. I said this to myself once.
Even today, I'm still trying to be a good Filipino on the basics, it's superficial for me: I like the work of Filipino writers, I listen and buy OPM, I still haven't changed my citizenship. But I was never convinced by the rhetoric that "change must start from within." And now it is clear to me why: it does not have a material basis that recognizes the existing power relations in society.
The joke is, it seems that everyone is in a vacuum and there are no external factors that affect the decisions we make. I am a drug user because I do not have the willpower to resist addiction.
I am a thief because I have a bad habit. I am poor because I am lazy. What about the lack of a proper agricultural program for farmers working 10 hours?
How is the government involved in contract policies of companies or anti-environmental practices of mining companies which are destroying the nature and livelihood of the people? Does it have anything to do with why they are so hungry and forced to taste or ban something? The decision is personal, I know. But every time we underestimate other people's grievances and redress our grievances in life, what is it that we know that not everyone has the opportunity that we have? And whenever we declare that "the problem is in the person," we should not even ask "why are we this?"
And although I say that there are people who are really crazy for crazy people, I'm still not sure that social change depends on behavior change. It is good to listen to because it can be empowering ("Change is in my hands"), and it can also be quiet accusatory ("Let's look at the mirror first"). But in fact, this shift from within logic only promotes status quo because it encourages us to retreat into our personal bubble rather than to understand our external causes. When we resort to individualistic solutions, we as a person neglect our ability to unite and fight. Practical call to be a good person - be diligent, cross the right path, study hard. I am not saying that we should all be crooks. But even if we can buy Guimaras mangoes and say yes to the elders, if the interests of powerful people are different from the majority, I think nothing will change.
Great post