Indifference , from Latin indifferentĭa, is the mood in which a person doesn't feel inclination or rejection towards another subject, an object or a particular subject . It can be a feeling or a position towards someone or something that is characterized by being positive or negative.
For example: “I don't hate football, it just makes me indifferent”, “Some things make me furious but this, the truth, does not produce me more than indifference”, "The indifference of much of society to the pain of others is disgusting".
Indifference, therefore, is a intermediate point between appreciation and contempt . If someone feels appreciation, that feeling it will be pleasant and active; On the other hand, if he feels contempt, he will turn into something that he wants to reject. By being indifferent, the subject becomes apathetic about it.
Regarding certain matters, indifference is seen as a psychological or social problem . There are cases in which the indifferent person can be accused of callous or cold, as if he had anesthetized emotions or feelings.
If a man walk down the street, cross an injured child and, instead of stopping, follow his indifferent path, most likely he will be socially condemned. As part of the human community, people are expected to have empathy and can show their solidarity when someone needs help.
However, it is important to know that, on many occasions, indifference is not synonymous with coldness but simply with special sensitivity. It may seem a contradiction but it is not. And is that many people very sensitive and fragile choose to make use of indifference as a shield to protect themselves and avoid being injured.
Specifically, experts in human psychology study this issue in depth and reach the following conclusions:
• Indifference is used by individuals with a strong and marked self-defense character who find it to be perfect to avoid being belittled, ignored, injured or questioned.
• In those cases, what occurs is that the person in question isolates himself from the rest and hinders his social relations.
• It is also used by people who are very afraid of pain and suffering as well as who have a need for affection but hide it so as not to be disappointed and to avoid that, when they open their hearts, they can be hurt by rejection, lies or infidelity.
• It is especially interesting to emphasize that among the many people who use indifference as a shield is a high percentage of teenagers. And they believe that it helps them to become stronger in their relationships with others and even with their families.
In this sense, for some philosophers, indifference is the denial of Being since it implies the absence of beliefs and motivations. Who is indifferent does not feel or act, staying out.
To all this we should add the existence of an important number of publications that revolve around indifference. This would be the case, for example, of "The indifference of an instant" by PP Zaga.
