Elie Wiesel (find out who he is) spoke often about indifference. Explain how the May precept "There is one right I would not grant anyone. And that is the right to be indifferent," applies to WWII and to something in your own life. Don't forget to respond to others in order to get full credit.
PS--I got to meet this incredible man twice; once when I was about 9 (he let me touch the tattooed numbers on his arm), and once when I was in college.
Elie Wiesel was an activist, Nobel-Prize winner, and survivor of the Holocaust. He has several quotes about indifference: “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
ReplyDeleteAlthough his life was forever changed by World War II, his philosophy about apathy also applies to World War I. The United States did not join WWI for three years. From 1914-1817, the Triple Powers were winning the war. But when the U.S. joined the Triple Entente in the last year of the war, the tides were turned. Without the U.S., it’s possible that the Triple Powers might have won the war, which would result in a world very different from the one we know today.
I don’t know if the quote applies to any specific area of my life, but it’s a good principle to live by. It’d be better to fight for what I believe in and stand up for myself than to accept that everything will happen the way it happens and not do anything about it.
Sources: (Sorry I did not cite them in proper format!)
https://www.biography.com/people/elie-wiesel-9530714
https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/authors/top_10_elie_wiesel_quotes
Yeah I agree, it is better to fight for what a person believes and stand up for themselves than to just accept it.
DeleteElie Wiesel was born on September 30, 1928, in Sighet, Romania. He was an activist, Nobel-Prize winning writer, teacher, and survivor of the Holocaust in WWII. He has wrote multiple books and has spoken much about how terrible indifference is. He died on July 2, 2016 at the age of 87.
ReplyDelete“There is one right I would not grant anyone. And that is the right to be indifferent.” This one quote out of many from Elie Wiesel can apply to WWII in multiple ways. However, one big way it applies to WWII is with how it relates with the people infamously called the “bystanders.” These “bystanders” were the people who just stood around and did nothing. These were the people who wouldn’t offer shelter or help. As said before, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” In other words, being indifferent doesn’t help, and it will never be right to be indifferent.
I’m honestly not sure that it where it would apply in my life; however, it truly is a good concept to believe in. Indifferent is defined as “having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned.” Sympathy is one of the foundations that has helped us to survive throughout all of these years. It’s one of the reasons that has kept humans to stay together and work together. Without it, we probably wouldn’t be at the top. One person can’t do very much, but with a group, we can do wonders.
Yeah, that's what I was trying to say about the United States--how we were "bystanders" until we finally decided to step in. I couldn't remember the word, though.
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ReplyDeleteJacky and Peyton--great insight about Elie Wiesel. I feel you both really do understand what he meant when he commented on indifference. The impact this can have can vary from a very personal, local level or a large scale global level. How does this apply today? What are you indifferent about? What are some things that you've not really taken a side on, but have chosen to stand by and allow to continue? Have you seen someone be mean to another student and turned a blind eye? Have you walked past trash on the side of the road and not picked it up because it wasn't yours? We certainly cannot right every wrong that is in the world on our own, but we can be drops in the figurative "good guy" bucket. It makes me think of Trevor and "Pay It Forward". Everybody can choose to do something.
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