PBHS HEADMASTERS ASSEMBLY 7 March 2014 Speak up, speak out! Martin Niemoller was a German pastor and theologian born in Germany, in 1892. An anti-communist he initially supported Adolf Hitlers rise to power, but when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemoller became disillusioned and publically opposed Hitler. He was arrested and only released in 1945 by the Allies. He continued his career in Germany as a clergyman and as leading voice in penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. He had the following to say: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak to me. Today I share a few thoughts about apathy - defined as a lack of caring, a suppression of passion, emotion or excitement. Apathetic people do not want to get involved, do not want their names associated with anything. They ease through life largely unnoticed, having no effect on those around them. Their opinion is seldom expressed and they usually follow the masses because they are too lazy to think for themselves or too scared to share their thoughts for fear of rejection. Our country will go to the polls in a few months time where people of voting age will be asked to choose their representatives in government, both local and national. I am often saddened after elections to see the percentage poll - usually around 50 or 60%. In our last general election, around 30 million people were eligible to vote - 18 million chose to exercise their right. This means that 12 million either chose not to vote or couldnt be bothered. Yet, when issues arise concerning service delivery, corruption or crime, suddenly everyone has an opinion. The same is true in any organisation. Those who speak up, who stand up for what they believe, are heard. We may not agree with each other and we may not get our way but we are heard. The worst kind of people in organisations are those who moan, who whine and complain in private yet do not speak up when asked to. At our school for example, I have extended an open office to senior boys to come and share tea with me on a Friday after assembly, to air their concerns and then hear reasons for decisions that are made that they may not agree with or suggest changes they feel should be made. I repeat that invitation to you all today. Lose your apathy and speak up for what you believe in. What is the point of being given a brain, the ability to reason and think and not to use it? The fact that someone HAS an opinion is more important than what that opinion is. The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, its indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, its indifference. Elie Wiesel (Nobel Peace Prizewinner) Your may also wonder why we insist on the standards we set, why we sweat the small stuff such as uniform, earphones, slip-slops, hair, shaving, cell phones, jewellery etc etc. Why cant we just turn a blind eye to these things? We cannot, because to do so would be apathetic - letting small things slip, not bothering to care. Whether it is in the small things such as attention to detail at school or bigger things such as school policy, voting in a democratic election or having an opinion on world affairs such as human rights or environmental issues - make sure you are not one of the gelatinous mass that merely exists, living on the opinions and ideas of others. We may have found a cure for most evils; but we have found no remedy for the worst of them all, the apathy of human beings. - Helen Keller -
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:24:55 +0000
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