Living in the Age of Apathy: A Collection of Short Writings Depicting Apathy as the Silent Killer of Humanity

By Gregory Alexander Chinama

Living in the Age of Apathy is a captivating and insightful book that takes an in depth look at how apathy could be the downfall of the United States and perhaps humanity.

In this informative and engaging discussion of apathy, Army combat veteran, Gregory A. Chinama explores how apathy is the root cause in the destruction of the values and foundation of family as he experienced first-hand with his failed marriage. Chinama further explains that apathy is the ultimate reason to why the divorce rate in the U.S. continues to rise. Chinama also analyzes the youth in America and shows how many of our teenagers have adopted an "I don't care" attitude towards issues that are important in our society today. Politics is no exception; Chinama holds nothing back when identifying apathy among those whom Americans elect to be humble servants of the people. From comedians to the music we listen to, Living in the Age of Apathy will force you to question the country and the world in which we live.

While a brilliant and eye-opening book, Chinama's Living in The Age of Apathy is crucial in a time of declining faith and rising doubt of a prosperous future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483611310

Gregory Alexander Chinama

In 1979, Gregory Alexander Chinama was born in Harlem, New York City to Percy and Brenda Chinama. He is the youngest of three children. After graduating from the High School of Arts and Design in 1997, Mr. Chinama enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served from August 25, 1997, to September 24, 2001, obtaining the rank of Corporal. Upon completion of his service in the United States Marines Corps, Mr. Chinama immediately enlisted into the United States Army. In 2006, Mr. Chinama was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom for a total of fifteen months. In the year 2010, Mr. Chinama medically retired from the Army due to illness sustained while in Iraq and retired with the rank of Staff Sergeant. Mr. Chinama has been awarded (3) Army Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, (3) Army Good Conduct Medals, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal/with Campaign Star, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badge, and Meritorious Mast. Mr. Chinama returned home to his parents who are living in Florida. With love and patience, they helped him to adapt to civilian life. Mr. Chinama is married to Leanda S. Caruthers and has one son from his first and failed marriage. In addition, Mr. Chinama has studied in Political Science from the College of Central Florida and is currently furthering his education.

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Copyright © 2014 by Gregory Alexander Chinama.

Library of Congress Control Number:          2013904858

ISBN:          Hardcover          978-1-4836-1130-3

                   Softcover          978-1-4836-1129-7

                   eBook                 978-1-4836-1131-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 05/29/2014

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Contents

Back to Basics

The Youth in Need of Disarm

Apathy in Today’s Relationships

Love Never Fails

AA in Politics

Entertainers, Think Before Speaking and Doing

Music as an Aid: Where are the Bob Marleys of Today?

The Eleven Pillars of Enlightment

The Jamall King Story

Final Thoughts from the Northwest

We are proud to be the parents of this young man whose love for humanity is deep and compelling (Percy and Brenda Chinama).

I dedicate this book to all state leaders, religious leaders, members of extremist / hate groups, street thugs, republicans, democrats, the wealthy, and those who are currently trapped in their own paradigm of apathy and are not seeking to escape. Allow me to say to all, take the knowledge from this book, use it as a tool, and begin the inner transformation into a state of love and compassion.

First and foremost, I give all praises due to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who has given me the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to create this book. Additionally, I extend my deepest gratitude to my parents, Brenda and Percy Chinama, for all their support, especially during my transition from the military workforce to the civilian sector. My wife and best friend Leanda S. Chinama, you are literally the other half of my Soul. All of my past relationships were just practice for an ultimate relationship, my marriage with you. Thank you for believing in me, I love you Boo Boo. My brother, Marc; my sister and her husband, Nicole and Walter Curry; and my niece, Damita—thank you all for your love and encouragement. To my son, whom I know I will reunite with soon—I love you. To Courtney and Claudia Adkins, I’m truly blessed to have you two great human beings in my life, and I thank you both for your input on this book. E, you have allowed me to see what apathy is and to be able to speak and write about it through experience, thank you. Randall Nicholas and Horace O. Williams, thank you for showing me that we do not have to come out the same womb in order to be brothers; thank you for the support. David Romero, thank you for the late-night talks. You are truly a wise soul, and I know all will be well for the both of us. Julie Jacobs, thank you for sharing information with me from across foreign lands. To Shannon M. Duey, Meayki Batie, Ingrid Haesaerts, Karen Coats Legree, Denise Steinman Kovac, Ryan Norfleet, David Hurd, and Tanja Mylek, thank you all for the enlightening conversations that helped me put pen to paper. Remember, the universe sets people in our paths to help bring forth better understanding of ourselves. Therefore, no matter how people may treat us, always ask what have you learned about yourself from meeting them. To the Enlisted members and Officers of Fort Lewis, Washington’s 1/37th Field Artillery Battalion (2005-2010), you are my brothers and Americas finest.

It is with immense gratitude and respect that I acknowledge Howard and Laurel Freeman. They launched Stop Children’s Cancer more than 30 years ago when the founders’ daughter, Bonnie Freeman, shared her vision of ending children’s cancer by raising funds to find a cure. Her dream to raise one million dollars was realized in the following years through the dedicated efforts of her family—parents Howard and Laurel Freeman, and sister Carolyne R. Freeman—with outstanding support from the broader Gainesville community. Stop Children’s Cancer’s mission is the prevention, control and cure of cancer in children. Stop Children’s Cancer is a local non-profit 501(c) (3) organization committed to the prevention, control and cure of cancer in children through the funding of pediatric research. All funding goes toward basic research, research scholars, and research equipment at the Divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Their dedication to this cause is a true vocation of love and compassion for humanity. To learn more about this organization that brings hope to so many children and families please visit their website at http://www.stopchildrenscancer.org.

BACK TO BASICS

(Preface)

W HILE THE WORD apathy itself is simply defined as the suppression of emotions and passion, its simple definition n owhere touches the magnitude of its effect on mankind. Over the years, man has gradually shifted to an age of apathy. Granted, this is merely a theory and a personal opinion based on my continuous search for right knowledge, good wisdom, and clear understanding. But it is a hypothesis founded on years of experiences all across the globe. That said, in order to better explain my theory, we must first analyze a few things that religion and many other institutions have failed to teach us. This will aid us not only in understanding this book on apathy, but also in understanding ourselves and the essence of life itself.

When examining the consciousness of man, there is much mystery involved. We can only touch on the surface of the inner workings of the human mind, leaving us with a plethora of interpretations. I will offer you one interpretation as a means for you to compare and contrast and ultimately from which you can draw your own conclusion(s). First, we need to be clear that the brain and the mind are two different elements that work as one. The mind is human consciousness that dwells in the brain. Similar to a computer, the mind can be compared to the software while the brain acts as the hardware. When looking at these two elements as one, however, we have a sophisticated device that helps manifest into reality such concepts as thought, perception, will, and imagination.

While serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-2007, I suggested a theory to a few buddies of mine about the brain. I posited that the brain has a way of releasing vibrational energy. I attempted to describe it as a powerful tone; it is a tone set to a certain frequency that we cannot physically hear or see. This vibrational energy, however, is in sync with our environment including us, the people. Similar to the you are what you eat saying, in this matter, we can basically say we are what we choose to think. By way of illustration, imagine if billions of people living in one region, all had thoughts of hate, anger, terror, and greed. These thoughts would first register to the brain. Once stored and manifested (accepted), the brain would then begin to transmit vibrational energy that takes the form of a sound wave—like movement, traveling all across our surroundings. This perhaps may be a clue as to why, at times, when we come in contact with someone, we may get a strange feeling. You may have had this same feeling that might have caused you to stay away from that person. This feeling is akin to the feeling that many of you may receive when you turn on a television or microwave. When that occurs, I tend to tell myself that my spirit may or may not agree with that person’s transmitted energy.

If the vibrational energy that we transmit is,