Bertolt Brecht on apathy

“The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies.”

All the grave issues facing us today, and the absence of the appropriate political will by our governments, can be traced directly to people who wait for the politically active minority to do the footwork; worse, some people choose to ignore, for example, the perils of globalization, unfettered consumption, etc.