How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference." A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil. (20-22)
"Indifference," as Elie Wiesel defines it, is nuanced and complicated—and not at all innocent.
On the surface, the definition is pretty straightforward, but as you dive in and peel back some of the layers, it becomes easy to see how tempting it is to exist in between good and evil—which, according to Wiesel, is where indifference lives. The trick is choosing to move beyond that place and take action to be compassionate and good—and that's not an easy thing to do.
Quote #2
Of course, indifference can be tempting—more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. (28-35)
Caring about people is hard. It's neither comfortable nor fun, but, according to Elie Wiesel, it's part of being a good human.
He believes that ignoring a person's misery makes it easier to look at that person as something less than human. Indifference has the power to make entire populations "less than," which is what happened to him and millions of others during the Holocaust. "The Perils of Indifference" is a not-so-gentle reminder of the negative consequences of indifference, and how important it is to take an interest in the anguish of others, even when it's tempting to look the other way.
Quote #3
Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. (51)
According to Elie Wiesel, being indifferent to another person, or another group of people, reduces them to nothing—as if their problems or their suffering just doesn't matter. It's a static feeling because nothing changes. How can it, if you're pretending what's going on simply isn't happening?