Dear Journal,
I have to admit surprise that when I talk about the subject of Indifference it is so widespread.
I had presumed that since the start of the Covid pandemic, with its catastrophic loss of life, that people would continue to take an interest in each other (one might even call it neighbourly), but instead, I have found that people are more and more entrenched in themselves, and Indifference, rather than being consigned to the metaphysical cosmic dustbin, is alive and well and living among us.
It seems that out of Pandora's Box of ills another insidious, silent, disease is also spreading, that of Indifference. The "so what?" attitude of a Society in decline & malaise.
For the last couple of years, the unhealthiness of Indiffence has been found embedded at the local, rural, General Practice Surgery where my mother goes to get medical assistance. It started out as little things, such as no longer being able to see the GP that you are allocated to as they are always 'too busy'. Next, it was appointments were only available with a catalogue of locum GPs so there was no continuity of care, with each Locum GP appearing to be as ill-informed as the next, and all falling into the trap of doing as little as possible including failing to read notes written by previous GPs, just prescribing what they thought that she, as an 'old dear' might need, but not looking back to see whether the obvious medications might have been tried in previous years, and whether or not she might experience an adverse reaction from such changes. Anything to do things on the cheap.
Golly! How standards have fallen, cataclismically, off the edge of good practice. And yet, the Care Quality Commission rates this Surgery as "Good". I wonder what standards they use? Perhaps it is how quickly the 'phone is answered, because in my opinion it isn't for good medical care. The Indifference expressed by the Locums led to a one-month hospital stay for my mother, because none of the so-called highly trained medical practitioners realised that she was suffocating in her own fluid retention, because they looked no closer than the end of their noses. It would have been better for my mother to have consulted a Sangoma who throws bones to ascertain the cause of issues - that would probably have been far more accurate. When did we turn into a nation of Lemmings unwilling to do anything but run off the end of a cliff and not ask why we are doing this? Are we really so consumed by our small world views that we cannot see the bigger picture which is to help each other?
When did we stop seeing people as human beings with feelings? Was it the deadening effect of Covid? Or has Indifference always been part of Society?
So where else is the culture of Indifference found? At the moment, I would hypothesize and say that it is embedded within just about every institution, organisation and hierarchy in the UK. The new Labour Government is hiding behind it at the moment as it is cowardly removing the Winter Fuel payment from the majority of older people, and bringing in a means-tested system. In principle, means-testing is a good idea and I am not against the idea in principle. However, think about our Elders for a moment.
They raised us. They sacrificed for us. They gave us food when perhaps there was very little in the cupboard or fridge and they went without so that we had something to eat. They have paid their taxes all their lives. Don't you think that they deserve a little from the central pot at their time of life that isn't means-tested? Again, the curse of Indifference says, "So what?"
In 2019, the WHO (World Health Organisation) coined a phrase that seeks to encapsulate how we look at societies. The phrase is a measuring stick and an important one given that societies are ageing.
"A society is measured by how it cares for its elderly citizens".
I am sure that when the WHO coined this phrase and produced its report looking at data, Indifference was probably not one of its qualitative or quantative data sets.
So how do you feel that the UK is measuring up to this important data set at the moment? Good / Fair / Bad?
Another example is food poverty. In 2020, the footballer, Marcus Rashford, highlighted food poverty. He used his own experience and career profile to highlight the issue, but as the years have gone by so too has his voice has gone silent. Is food poverty still an issue for us as a Society in the UK or has it just been conveniently swept under the carpet, along with homelessness, mental health, NHS waiting lists, and countless other important social issues, but all suffocated under the weight of inertia and the curse of indifference.
Enough doom and gloom. What can be done to lift the curse of Indifference?
The answer is us! You! Me! We can work on changing our attitude and moving away from Indifference!
Each time you run into an example of Indifference, call it out! Report it! Complain about it! Fire a warning shot across the organisation's bow! Stand up and be counted!
We are the ones we have been waiting for. If we don't do something who will?
If we don't the curse of Indifference becomes the new normal. Do you want to grow old in a Society that cares so little for those who have enriched it but who in later life are thought to not matter?
Have a think about it.
Much love.
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