As of today, this blog is 365 days old. So, I thought I’d repost what I wrote in my second post here, explaining the name of my new blog.
Why did I name this blog “Rebelling Against Indifference”? Because it is one of the maxims by which I try to live my life.
When I first heard the phrase “rebel against your own indifference” being tossed around about two years ago, it caught my attention. When www.relevantmagazine.com created a t-shirt with that phrase on the front, I immediately bought one.
I did some research to find out where it came from and found it originated (at least in recent memory) with Bono, the lead singer of U2 and a prophet for our generation, who uttered it during the 2001 Commencement address of Harvard University. Here is the relevant part of his speech:
Music was like an alarm clock for me as a teenager and still keeps me from falling asleep in the comfort of my freedom.
Rock music to me is rebel music. But rebelling against what? In the Fifties it was sexual mores and double standards. In the Sixties it was the Vietnam War and racial and social inequality. What are we rebelling against now?
If I am honest, I’m rebelling against my own indifference. I am rebelling against the idea that the world is the way the world is and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it. So I’m trying to do a damned thing.
So why did I name my blog “Rebelling Against Indifference”? Because I want to be someone who gives a damn. I want to live every day remembering I can change things, I don’t have to sit back and watch the world go by. I can help address social concerns, such as hunger and disease and lack of clean water. I can continue to grow in every area of my life; I don’t have to grow complacent. I don’t have to let my spiritual life become stagnant but can continue to seek the truth, can “hunger and thirst after righteousness”.
Thanks for reading. I’m planning on posting more often this year, so be sure to keep checking back.
that’s awesome.
I don’t always comment, but I read all your posts with great interest, Stephen. I also like the whole idea of rebelling against indifference. I hope the Lord continues to stir all our hearts this way.
[...] When I started this blog, I explained that the name, Rebelling Against Indifference, comes for a speech that Bono gave where he said “If I am honest, I’m rebelling against my own indifference. I am rebelling against the idea that the world is the way the world is and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it. So I’m trying to do a damned thing.”. I said that I didn’t want to sit back and become indifferent to things happening around me, that I didn’t want to become complacent. I want to continue to believe that I, that we, can make a difference, and that we can do more than just talk about it. I want to give a damn about the messed up things in this world, even if they don’t affect me. So, to that end, I’ve joined with Kat and 38 other bloggers to remind ourselves that it is “about something other than us”. [...]
[...] These lyrics were written by Derek Webb, a spokesman for Blood:Water Mission, for the closing song on his new CD, The Ringing Bell. As the name of this blog attests, I want to rebel against indifference. That includes indifference toward others’ needs. And not because I might occasionally feel a tinge of guilt for not helping others but because I believe it does something to us when we ignore those around us. [...]