Issue No. 5 of the Isfahan-e Ziba Daily Special Supplement: Passivity and Bewilderment

For thousands of years, humankind has contemplated how to survive, seeking this beyond life itself and even after death. The human interest in the continuation of oneself and one's life has encompassed two aspects: one during life, and the other after death. Regardless of belief in the continuation of human existence after worldly death and life in other worlds, one also considers remaining in this world through the legacy of one's works. Thus, the desire to be and to leave behind a name and renown drives a person to create works and outcomes through which they may experience authentic being while alive, and still remain after death.

According to what has been stated, one of the human inclinations in this worldly life is to have an impact on one's surroundings. To be able to leave behind a thought, a product, a method, a family, children, and anything that allegorizes one's name and existence; this is a desirable and fateful matter for them, as if the secret of humankind lies in a creation wherein the more one creates, the more peace one finds.

Given the introduction presented, to realize this dimension of their existence, a person must manifest the ability to play a role and be effective in both their individual and social dimensions. In fact, they must both elevate themselves and their personality, and improve their surrounding society, attending to their public responsibility. A person always cooperates in line with the ideal and goal they have for their social life, alongside other individuals who share a common path, and together they create a collective force to realize those goals. Therefore, humankind seeks activity and effort in their living environment, and as long as they strive towards their desired direction, they add to their value structure.

But whenever, for any reason (environmental or internal), problems are imposed upon them to such an extent that they prefer the corner of seclusion over the arena of action and fall into passivity and bewilderment, a rupture is inevitably created between them and all that they desire to do, and in which they see their future and hope. Then, gradually, indifference and passivity befall them, and abandoning the desirable social life to its own devices becomes a normal matter for them. This view of the human being and their perfectible inclinations is not confined to the individual dimension alone; social life, too, must adhere to the necessities of this matter for survival and permanence. Among the most important necessities for the protection and safeguarding of a society is the preservation of the dynamism and effectiveness of its various social groups. A society that cannot provide a vehicle for the expression of activities, plurality of attitudes, ideas, and creative projects of popular groups, and does not prepare a sufficient and safe ground and platform for the approach of these activities, will not have a well-ordered and acceptable state. This society will face various obstacles in its course of movement, which may ultimately pose a serious danger to its survival and permanence. Therefore, from this perspective, the principle of survival has two fundamental forms for the human being: one is the internal aspect for each individual, and the other is the external aspect within the heart of social life with other humans.

This matter of human effectiveness and activeness is so important that if it is shirked for any reason, human life will suffer a probable rupture and collapse. In the individual dimension, one may suffer from various mental, psychological, and personality illnesses, and in the social dimension, the principal assets of society and its essential nature will head towards destruction.

The issue of passivity and indifference is important because, in the event of its existence or widespread prevalence, it is a matter that will be in complete opposition and contrast to the transcendent existence of the human being and their inner nature, and will seriously disrupt the progress of a society, to the extent that it will even cause its decay and destruction. Given the importance of this matter, what has been intended in this special supplement is the presentation of deep and practical analyses to address the roots of such an issue.

What causes a society or certain social groups to fall into passivity depends on various causes and factors, which we seek to analyze and examine in this issue. The consequences and risks that passivity creates for the individual and society, and the transformative path it sets society upon, are other topics we will address. In this issue, we have tried to seek the views and opinions of sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and other thinkers in fields related to passivity and indifference, in order to not only provide answers to the questions raised in this area, but also to offer practical and strategic solutions for preventing it.

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PDF file of the Fifth Issue of the Isfahan-e Ziba Daily Special Supplement: Passivity and Bewilderment

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Source: Fifth issue of the Porsesh special supplement of Isfahan-e Ziba Daily

On the topic of: “Passivity and Bewilderment” A dossier for analyzing and examining the causes and factors of the emergence of passivity and indifference in society

Featuring writings and talks by:

Maghsoud Farasatkhah, Saeed Madani, Hossein Dabbagh, Nasser Mahdavi, Habibollah Peyman, Seyyed Ali Mirmousavi, Seyyed Hadi Motamedi, Seyyed Ayatollah Mirzaei, Morteza Salemi, Shirzad Babaei, Shahriar Dabirzadeh, Mehdi Kazemi Zamharir, Nafiseh Azad, Ali Faridihayaei, Emad Bahavar, Amir Taki

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