The word "indifference" has its roots in the Old Church Slavonic language. It was found in the psalters of the 13th century and meant the equality and constancy of consciousness. In the 18th century Russian literary language, it denoted calm and constancy, fortitude and equanimity. It is not known for certain why, but already at the beginning of the 19th century the semantics of the word changes and takes on a negative connotation, "indifference" becomes a synonym for coldness, inattention and indifference.
Dead Souls
In the modern definition, indifference is a passive, indifferent, devoid of any interest attitude towards the surrounding reality. There are many sayings and proverbs condemning this feeling or, more precisely, its absence. A.P. Chekhov once called indifference a paralysis of the soul. The writer Bruno Yasensky wrote in the novel "The Conspiracy of the Indifferent": "Do not be afraid of your friends - in the worst case they can betray you, do not be afraid of your enemies - in the worst case they can kill you, be afraid of those who are indifferent - only with their tacit consent do they happen on Earth betrayal and murder."
There is even an opinion that indifference is inherited as a terrible disease in which a person is not able to live a full life and enjoy emotions. Indifferent people are not characterized by compassion, they are callous, cowardly and even mean-spirited, everything human is alien to them. They are called underdeveloped, believing that they are at a lower stage of evolution.