Why Indifference is Power | Priceless Benefits of Being Indifferent 

*”Do not fear having no friends. Fear having bad friends”* ~My life taught lesson

Practicing indifference towards things that don’t really matter has helped tremendously with my anxiety and depression.

This level of self-awareness and confidence reveals who those are around you. People will love you for being genuine or hate you because they are powerless over you.

As a younger man, my father had an older neighbor that lived in a tree. Like literally inside the Beech tree, like an Elf. People thought he was crazy, and wanted him to live like a normal person, but he wanted none of it. He wasn't particularly educated, but he was remembered as one of the wisest and most intelligent men in my village. He had many skills, just as capable as any of the villagers at the time, but if there was one trait to describe him it was indifference. He just didn't care nor he wanted to live within the rules other people lived. He passed away in the 90's . I didn't know the man well, i was a little kid when he passed away, but i occasionally pass by the tree which was his home, it's still there, and it's huge. And that always reminds me of Diogenes and how he lived in a barrel. To me, these kinds of people were truly fascinating in a way.

Indifference or "neutrality" is power. Someone is rude to you, be indifferent, be neutral Because it's a reflection of THEIR inner condition. Being neutral, just observing and accepting their decision without emotion is where your strength is. Such a waste if energy to continually react to the actions of other. They are irrelevant unless you make it so. 💯

I've found that a lot of people are more offended by indifference than having strong opinions about things. Indifference really is completely alien to a lot of people. I've had to deal with many family members etc who organise their entire lives around being socially normal. I can sense in these environments that simply an indifferent presence makes these people extremely uncomfortable.

Indifference is freedom especially when dealing with toxic individuals ❤

This resonates a lot with me. I recently reflected on that I have become better at being "indifferent" these last six months. Whereas I tended to get caught up in everything that was not my business and felt a certain self-righteousness, and like the world "owed" me something for all my struggles, I've now subconsciously adopted the mantra of "It is what it is". I'm no longer interested in running around controlling everyone's perceptions of me, or despairing about external circumstances far beyond my control. Yet, I neither feel like separating myself entirely from society; I can simply "exist" within it. I involve myself in what I want to involve myself in, and let the rest of it be. It's a peaceful existence.

It is worth mentioning that you cannot force indifference. It is something that happens through life experience. When you have had enough ups and downs, sex, money, things, people, there comes a point where nothing really matters all that much anymore. You don't really choose to feel it. It just kinda happens naturally. And there is a beauty to it, a sort of relaxed demeanor.

It’s amazing how much easier life is when we can control our emotions. What’s more amazing is the fact they figured this out thousands of years ago.

The older you get the more idifferent you become to things. It's maturity, you know what matters and what doesn't. Another thing I learned long ago is the opposite of love isn't hate it's indifference. If you hate someone you care an awful lot about them to spend all that energy.

The story about Diogenes really resonated with me. I've always been told that I need to climb the ladder and impress people to succeed, but seeing someone so content with just living life on their own terms is truly inspiring 💟

Indifference allows for you to exercise the open mind and therefore welcome more options

I've found indifference to be better than getting angry all the time and trying to "fix" people. They usually end up punishing themselves with their terrible lifestyle, meanwhile I get to enjoy being calm and living a good life.

Do not fear being single, fear having a toxic relationship-my life lesson 😢

This is so true...when you stay in your own space and are happy by yourself without wanting attention...the more interesting you become to people...its annoying and weird.

Being indifferent at work has helped me tremendously. I don't experience any strong emotions there because I don't worry about things outside of my control.

Its almost like when you GIVE people and entities LESS power over your personal life, the less they matter. 😮😮

Indifference can be the worst thing you can do to someone who has hurt you; walked past an abusive ex- without even noticing her as if she was a tree. I learned later she burst into tears and was quite distraught. I was free.

Indifference is my insulation against a harsh/judgmental society.

My father always told me, "there's no point worrying about things you can't control". Unfortunately, I spend most my life worrying or being angry about things I can't control. But then again, I'm an American, and my country is a hopeless pit of despair and misery.

I have always been characterised as being indifferent. I do not care for people pleasing, I truly always behave and act as myself. I have never once struggled with anxiety or depression.

Like all ideals, indifference is a tool, but not a goal. It is useful for most people simply because they do not have enough of it in their lives, but if you have too much, it becomes a poison. There is only one virtue, and that is balance (which is not the same as being _equally_ everything, but rather being everything in the _correct_ proportion to your need, in the same way that a seesaw will not be balanced directly in the middle if the two people on either end are different weights)

One of the most difficult things people face today is society praising "ambition ", as defined in a very narrow and monetary sense, as a worthwhile primary goal - whilst forgetting that ambition applies equally to serenity, health and simplicity .

My lower self likes to pretend that it doesn’t know the difference between true stoic indifference and egoic, defensive avoidance. But life has a way of announcing those differences to me.

Being indifferent to the things that would distress you, or hold you down, is the best thing you can do for yourself

The best and worst thing about indifference is that it can occur naturally as you experience unpleasant events in life. For me the hard part wasn't developing indifference, but accepting it. Thoughts like "I feel nothing about this, but I SHOULD" or "I have no opinion about that, but I SHOULD" gnawed at my skull until I learned to accept and utilize indifference as a positive trait. Can't tell about the society as a whole, but I felt unwelcome among my friends and relatives who kept telling me how I should feel and how not feeling isn't an option. Turns out it is.

“To thine own self be true.” This is honesty, authenticity and integrity at it’s purest.

Practicing mindfulness has helped me immensely in being more indifferent.

The more you fight the currents, the harder you are pushed back.

Indifference is only healthy towards things that don't matter; otherwise, it can be worse than hatred. Therein lies the human journey, trying to figure out what matters and what doesn't through trial and error.

I am a 70 year old man. It was not until my early 40s that I heard about the stoic philosophy. As I read more about it, I realized that I had always naturally adopted this philosophy during my life, even in childhood. Looking back, every consequence of a decision of mine that was regrettable, was when I made the decision against my natural stoic tendencies. Perhaps the ability to live the stoic lifestyle is something that comes naturally.

Indefence is not the I don’t care attitude , indeference is knowing who you are honouring it and not fearing being rejected. You cannot control what people think, feel or how they behave. With growing awareness ,you realize indifference is a healthy tool and is used to define who you are or would like to be.

I am a Buddhist monk living in Japan. The message encapsulated in this video is everything that ZEN is. I wish more people would watch this and put the contents into practice!

Brilliant! I have trained myself to take responsibility for every emotion I experience. I literally no longer feel anger. My mother thinks this is abnormal!

Indifference allows us to let go of things that don't matter and allow things that do shine through

A drastic shift in my perspective came when first, I decided the only opinions I take to heart are those of loved ones and second, I can choose who to love.

Since I didn't fit in any society I focused on myself instead. I found out different things about myself that if I had kept associating with others it would be destructive. I learned not to need, or want anything from anyone. This benefitted me greatly.

As a very emotional lady learning to take control of her emotions to be a better person this definitely helps

Do you know why authenticity is so important for many? Because being your true self is your most virtuous self

This reminds me of just being perfectly honest with myself. Am I really concerned about this issue? It's a useful question to ask myself often. As it turns out, I'm mostly concerned about a meal, shelter, and being relatively healthy. Like my brother says "It's not just good, it's good enough!" 😅

Summary 🌅 Benefits of being indifference - 1)Freedom and authenticity 2) Emotional resilience 3) Better performance 4) Affordable contentment (ataraxia) 5) Rational and objective decision

...I looked back at the past 7 years today and I felt like I'd been 'trying' forever .. and all I have from that is nervous exhaustion.. so thanks for this video it will help me immensely to let go of trying so much with everything.

I don't comment enough on your videos, so I want to take a moment to say that I find them very insightful and helpful in my day to day life. Thank you for making them and I hope this comment bumps you up a smidgen in the algorithm. I think more people need to be exposed to this kind of wisdom.

Are you interested in being indifferent? Then you're not indifferent. But that's not a trap - because you don't control your thoughts or the sensations in your body that emerge. Thus, if in this moment you AREN'T indifferent (you're wrapped up in worry or expectation about an outcome) you have only to admit to yourself that you don't control your thoughts, nor your feelings, and thus the only thing to do is to feel them. Not justify them. Just feel them. The tingles and clenches of anxiety and fear - put your mental cursor on them, because you can't make them go away. But something special happens when you choose instead to welcome the buzzes and clenches and tingles. If nothing else, you'll see that all of experience (life-ending physical pain aside) is simply endless days of thoughts and body sensations, and that's basically the drama of your entire life. I'm not reducing life to merely that (not at all), but demonstrating simply that the core of our experience in any moment is some mix of thoughts and emotions, and when you make a habit of FEELING the things your body is presenting to you, you realize the thing you've been fearing most your whole life is feeling itself. The main fear is the fear of how you think you'll 'feel' about some potential outcome in the future of which you're afraid (loss, sorrow, embarrassment, etc). And fair enough! Except you'll see that actually you CAN feel nearly anything (life-ending physical pain aside). And the person you become when you're not afraid to feel the emotions that bubble up naturally (again, not to justify them, not to justify some specific action based on them)... simply the person you become by allowing yourself to feel the things/emotions you've been clenching against all your life - the person you become is who you want to be.

This channel has genuinely changed my life. Without it I likely would've never learned about all this philosophical wisdom, especially from taoism and stoicism. I want to let you know that you are doing something truly great. If there is a God, I hope he blesses you with strength and inner peace.

"The essence of balance is detachment. To embrace a cause, to grow fond or spiteful, is to lose one's balance, after which, no action can be trusted."

To be genuinely indifferent one must be comfortable in their own skin, that is, know themselves enough to be authentic. Excellent video as usual 👍

I think it should be noted that indifference doesn't grant "personal power" in this sense of it being a source of empowerment. It prevents you from giving it away to others who would like to see you disempowered.

“Focus on the process” Those four words changed everything for me when I first heard them years ago. This is the 🔑 to sports.

Superb. Clear, succinct and interesting. No waffle no inane drivel just spot on. 👌

The attachment to outcome. Damn that hit me hard. I struggle with that and it makes sense that auditions and performances are tough yet when I’m just existing and focus on just enjoying the moment. I thought maybe more experience might help that. Thank you for putting all this in perspective. So much to process this morning 🙏🏾

This makes a whole lot of sense. We will own nothing and be happy. Klaus wants us to be indifferent.

As Ive aged, I find more and more that there is very little that I’m not indifferent about. I think this has greatly reduced my chances of having heart failure. There is much peace to be found in not giving a s***.

Man this is gold! The amount of help I get at just surviving in this world, is incalculable. Thank you thank you souch for these essays ❤️

Thank you. That was very enlightening and somehow comforting. I’ve been judged harshly because I do prefer my own company and I no longer run around looking for or getting the latest stuff or in that rushed living. Again, thank you.

Einzelganger Thank you for all your hard work. Not only am I learning how better to live my life but I am learning from YOU how to compose a GREAT essay.

For this reason, in my self-improvement journey, I want more compassion and kindness in my life, but not more empath

This immediately resonates with with this! Since childhood, others perceived me as detached or aloof even unemotional to outcomes or chaos of others. As I grew into my true nature, I realized that there is a great power in being extremely empathetic and respectful while also filtering outside forces and opinions that do not serve me well. This has helped tremendously to navigate personal relationships, my activism in the political arena and afforded me to set my own pace as a entrepreneur with my own successful business ventures. In the study of astrology, indifference is one of the strongest traits of an Aquarius sign. Perceiving with a healthy dose of indifference is very empowering while others desperately pine for your reaction to play out their own projected chaos onto others. Indifference is far from being uncaring. It’s about self-preserving and staying in the most positive, more empowering position in order to make the most of any uncontrollable situation. Buddhism teaches this! Very informative!

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference and a person should not always be indifferent.

Never depend upon your own expectations. Just move forward with an understanding that circumstances can change when you least expect them to change. And when circumstances do change away and do not meet your expectations with this understanding always to mind as you move along you will not feel any adverse emotional fallout or feel emotionally let down. 🇦🇺💯%

Indifference Makes All Of The Difference. 😎🤷‍♂️💯

Laying stuff out in the sun to dry or kill bateria is incredible!! Dries stuff and eliminates smells from bacterial growth and such.

your video has literally giving me so much wisdom and knowledge, I can't thank you enough.

The video of the year. You have no idea how important this video is. you are genius.

Great video! For me, it's always an uphill challenge to distinguish between what I can and cannot control, AND following thru with letting go of what I can't control. But when I get it right, in the moment, the pleasure and accomplishment is uncomparable. After all, it's only me. And me controlling me is amazing.

Omg... I've been practicing Stoic indifference all my life~ 🥰

Indifference is attractive because you show to people who you really are (your VALUE as a person). They will see you as confident and a person who loves himself. Because of this others might: Scared of you, Hate you, Jealous, or Respect you. Because not everyone has the courage to be who they want to be.

Anybody else has noticed this: I need to experience the both extremes to begin undeestanding where the golden mean of everything is. For example I used to conform a lot in high school because I didn't even know myself a lot back then. 6 months ago however I moved on my own living in near complete solitude for months. Until recently I have started noticing that I am not destined to be just a loner. Perhaps I can be authentic and have social interaction too?

I have practised this in relation to egoic outbursts for the past few years. The funny thing is, I often get people coming to me to talk about others behind their backs, and when they see my lack of reaction, they first look shocked… you can see the moment their eyes widen and they lean back slightly. Then, every time without fail, they apologise to me and quickly change the subject. I don’t judge them for any of this, not even in my thoughts. A lot of people here say that people respond badly to their indifference and, this is just a hunch, but I think they may be judging them. That’s why they get a bad reaction.

Indifference brings you joy and calm. I consider this a key skill to thrive in life.

Im cautious because indifference easily leads to depression and a sense of alienation from everything. Some amount of enthusiasm and engagement is needed to feel, well, engaged in life. You must appreciate something. The 'care about what you can control, be indifferent about the things you cant' is a good start. the next step is to select the controllable things and build a routine and mind-pattern around appreciating them: The morning and evening sun, food and drinks, fun, slow learning, animals, being quick to laugh and wonder when someones mind is tricked...and sharing these things with people.

Thank you for this channel. And your book. These have changed my life! 😊

indifference is easy to achieve if we distance ourself in social media

To be indifferent you need a connection to source that “fills you up” leaving you in need of nothing outside of yourself.

thank you so much for uploading this. This really saved me from falling back into fear and distrust mainly of myself and so onto others.

I think 'indifference' is slightly the wrong word here. I would use the word 'detachment' instead.

One of your best thus far. Practical & timely.

I started becoming indifferent to most things that were bothering me and I surprisingly found true peace and happiness. Indifference is truly power. Thank you for sharing this valuable content with us.

One cannot feign indifference!

I am still learning to be indifferent to what my mother or even my little sister say or do. My mother has very high expectations of me, and often reminds me how bad of a daughter i am, how i don’t help around etc. It used to hurt, now i play my indifference card. And we move on without a fight. That gives me peace. As for my sister, she bullies me from time to time, the reason why she bullies me is just as fucked up. I used to buy her things that she wanted, but at some point i had to put a restriction to that because she kept asking me to buy things for her, that’s when it started, she started calling me names like selfish, ugly, mom doesn’t love me etc. At first i used to explain to her why i have to do what im doing and why its not ok to call me names because of this, doesnt work. Then i just started getting super angry, altho i dont call her names, but i would talk back to her. And now? I’m learning to be indifferent. I choose to not BE like her, i choose to be the adult that i am and not be controlled by her words. Still learning but getting there.

Brilliant subject. This alone can eliminate the neurosis some experience. Thank you for this gem, it reinforces a lot of what I’ve recently learnt and wholeheartedly believe.

I like the story of the Scythians who had a reputation of being fearless or a bit crazy in war. Their army was lined up facing the more powerful Persian army of Darius and battle was about to commence. A hare (or rabbit by some accounts) ran into the no man's land between the two armies and many Scythians broke ranks to give chase to the hare. Their indifference to the impending battle and the more powerful army they faced caused great consternation, upset and even fear in the ranks of their opponents. Great video presentation Einzelgänger, I can learn a lot from it!

Wow. Didn’t realize I was ahead of myself. I’ve always been indifferent. I always thought it was being negative but realize I was living my life on my own terms. I like freedom.

As Marcus Arelious said, try to approach the situation objectively from a third person‘s perspective. The more you think about it the harder you realize that is to do. But if you can achieve it, it really does give you a true objective outlook.

I was born a lone wolf. I'm 72. Indifferent. Never married, No kids. Never had a best friend. I'm happy. The outside world is painful. I live in my head. It's safe in there. There might be something wrong with me but I'm OK with that.

practiced it and it WORKS!👍...it gave me peace, contentment, and not caring what others think can make you choose whats best for you. Fame, fortune, money is good, but it doesnt' bring happiness, only contentment does. Cheers!

Wow!! Just what I needed to hear this morning in these crazy times!! Thank you 😊💙💙💙

Glad there is another video. Love them!

Feeling indifferent is power until it's about life waking every morning

i thank my family for understanding and accepting my indifference...

Be indifferent with things you don't care about but passionate about things you do care about.

Yes, indifference of the subjects is Power to the ruler. Same as today, indifference of the citizens is Power to the government.

Great Story, indifference can be just filtering out the bad and the good and everything else that helps us to move forward. Doesn't necessarily have to be no care or don't take action ...but take action and filter things out that we don't need and harming us !!

I really appreciate the effort you put into your video essays. Thanks so much!! 😁✌️

Just living thru depression, if you care about anything, it better be important. Care about important things, people, and love. Nothing else will matter eventually.

This presentation is so good as are others you’ve put up, I really get a lot out of them, I’m sure many people do, a nice simple life suits me, classical music and a good book, a cup of tea watching a beautiful sunrise, a cold beer watching it set, I’m easily entertained, I like people but in small doses, I’d rather have 4 crowns than a hundred pennies, all the best to everyone, also I love the photography in your episodes, so nice

But when indifference becomes “I dont care” that’s when your life becomes meaningless. We live in a era where indifference is often used to escape reality or numb the pain to avoid dealing with the world around us…and life starts slipping away from us…

Indifference can give you power where others think you have none.

Another great chapter sharing ancient wisdom. Thank you.