Elie Wiesel is a writer, professor
at Boston University, political
activist,Nobel Laureate and
Holocaust survivor.

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel

It has been so cold recently. How cold you ask? So cold that today when the temperature reached 28 degrees and the sun was out we had a heat wave.

If cold, snow and rain cannot stop the postman from making his appointed rounds, why are we so scare of a few obstacles that often we go silent in the face of injustice and immorality. Usually the obstacle means just standing up for what you believe and is right against authorities elected or selected.

If people on our block were fearless about standing up to the local alderman our street would not become narrower. If members of St. Vincent de Paul locally did not fear contracting authorities in the Society and thought for themselves I believe they would invest millions in the needs of the poor rather than in a thrift store for the suburbs. If students, faculty and alumni were not afraid to look at the real truth of what the Department of Defense is teaching at Marquette University, I believe, they would demand that Marquette, as a Christian school stop teaching war and killing without conscience.

Yes these are my views or ‘opinions of the truth’ but when they are not contracted and just met in silence they grow stronger in my conscience. As the saying goes “The opposite of love is not hate but indifference”. In these situations indifference is ignoring.

When you dialog and debate a person or statement recognize the person or statement exist. When you ignore it you perform an act hate, not disagreement. “Truth” can only be attained when people love and respect each other. When one party just says ‘that is your opinion and I have my opinion’ or I will not talk with you because I cannot change your mind, they are disrespecting a person and showing hatred toward the person. Insult the messenger and ignore the message seems to be cry of the day.

In the 81 pages of allegations against me, the reason for my suspension from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul leaders in the Society locally and nationally encourage each other to ignore the concerns I and others are bringing up about the direction of the Society in Milwaukee and by not dialoging or responding they can say I will not change my mind. What arrogance to hate someone by ignoring the person’s message and then say the person will not change his or mind.

Ignoring people and an issue long enough sadly enough does work but only because when someone or a message is ignored people think it not true or something they do not want to hear or care about. Ignoring or marginalizing message and ignoring a message is the new form of hate in our society if you react to being ignore it gives creditability to those doing the hating by ignoring. If you keep on speaking the truth as you see it and there is no response, eventually many people just turn off the message.

Ignoring is a hard obstacle to overcome.

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