# The art of apathy



## Erbse (Oct 15, 2010)

Apathy != Mellowness.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Ben8 said:


> I want to become more apathetic. My life feels like a struggle because I care about every little thing. I analyze too much into the tone of the person speaking to me, I focus too much about my work, I'm extremely hard on myself, etc. I would really like to know how to become very apathetic towards life and not take things so seriously. Also, is it possible to get rid of emotion? I would like to not feel positive or negative emotion. Help?


I think those that appear to make _use_ of apathy, are merely _projecting_ apathy. This has very little to do with their soft, squishy interiors. However, by projecting the appearance of being apathetic, they may be able to fool themselves into thinking they are. So, you could 'fake it 'til you make it', so to speak.

However, I consider this to be unwise. As annoying as emotions and their indulgent tendencies can be, they are, at this time, a necessary human experience. Emotions can be applied with wisdom, or foolishness. It is the former that guides us to make even better decisions than logic and intuition alone would dictate. It is a rare individual who can do this, though. I am, by no means, an exception.

Those of us who have difficulty with our own emotions may find the emotions of others a suitable crutch through observation of recognized and consistent appropriate attitudes and behaviours to a variety of scenarios. But, we still experience emotions ourselves-- The difficulty lies in discerning it, noticing it, categorizing it, making appropriate use of it, etc. 

Then there are those who use and experience emotion _too _much, and they can become gluttonous, self-indulgent, selfish members of society.

And then there are some who are apathetic due to mental disorders. Sociopaths, psychopaths... These individuals are almost always destructive, because they lack internal and external balance, and chemical misfiring between neurons and neurotransmitters elicit terrible consequences.

All in all, I think you should avoid the idea of _true _apathy. You would not act in the way you think you would. If you're hard on yourself, maybe you should be. And maybe you should take actions that will cause you to be _less _hard on yourself. 

Find the motivation of your self-criticism, the core problem. Then make solutions.

I'd also like to note that if you want to take life less seriously, then start by turning it into something entertaining, and worthy of joking about. Your dominant Ni should be able to help you see things in different ways. Try focusing on seeing those things you 'take so seriously' as not being that important. Look at the best and worst things that could happen, and try to keep the best scenarios in mind, and strive for them. 

If you fail, then learn from it, keep it in mind, and keep trying.


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## yyzena (Nov 17, 2013)

hi ben8,

You can condition yourself to detach from negative people and/or emotions. Not remove them, just detach a bit so they aren't so overwhelming. 

I'm a big fan of Richard Sutphen, he's an author, hypnotherapist, and psychic researcher who's been practicing since the 70s. 

He's got an entire catalog of CDs, DVD and books on all kinds of life issues and many, many meditations. He has one specifically for emotional detachment. (I can't link to anything yet, as I'm still a 'newbie'). If you go to Richard Sutphen's website, then click on 'Store' then on the right side click on 'Probe 7' .. a list of titles will show up and the very first one is the 'Emotional detachment'. It really worked well for me, and I hope you consider trying it.

Good Luck,
Theresa


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