One of my favorite Natalie Merchant songs goes like this:

I may know the word
But not say it
I may know the truth
But not face it
I may hear a sound
A whisper sacred and profound
But turn my head
Indifferent

I may know the word
But not say it
I may love the fruit
But not taste it
I may know the way
To comfort and to soothe
A worried face
But fold my hands
Indifferent

(Chorus)

I may know the word
But not say it
This may be the time
But I might waste it
This may be the hour
Something move me
Someone prove me wrong
Before the night comes
With indifference
...

Some of the rest of the lyrics are a little darker. But, for some reason, every time I hear this song I well up with emotion--a strange sensation that has tones of beauty, responsibility, lightness, weight and balance. Hope, and despair. And that reminds me that being indifferent--without strong feeling of joy, of pain, or the openness to being moved--means, ultimately, giving up on what it means to be alive.