Apathy. It is the new soul of America, a habit of inaction that many of us wear because we cannot believe that such injustices are allowed, that such inaccuracies are permitted, that such sins can be committed. Every time this current conservative administration pushes a new outrageous agenda or makes another egregious appointment or permits the spoken words of classism or racism or sexism, we shake our collective head in disbelief but somehow find ourselves unable to act because our soul has slowly been replaced with an apathetic hollow copy of what we once believed.
I needed to hear Barack Obama's words after Katrina struck and wish they could be repeated in our hearts and minds every time we forget to consider the fact that we (conservative or liberal) cause these actions by our inactions.
"That is the deeper shame of this past week - that it has taken a crisis like this one to awaken us to the great divide that continues to fester in our midst. That's what all Americans are truly ashamed about, and the fact that we're ashamed about it is a good sign."
But to tell the truth, I am not convinced we are all ashamed. Most of us are concerned with our individual safety, getting our cars filled with gas, and collecting every cent of our paycheck.
We should all be filled with shame for the way we accept the abuse of power of our current government in order to perpetuate our individual autonomy. We should all be filled with shame for the way our apathy sustains the gap between those who are empowered and those who are not.
For if we can feel what it means to be ashamed it is possible to then take responsibility for what we have allowed to happen--and this, not the desire for political power, is the foundation for sustaining change that generates liberty and justice for all.