I don't care...

'The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."
--Elie Wiesel

What a great quotation. There's a lot within it, and much that relates to the students I teach. Middle and high schoolers love to say they "don't care" about anything: grades, what other people say about them, parents and teachers, each other...
And in a lot of ways, that shines through in performance--if you don't care about a test or a subject, sure--you're going to fail. If you don't care about others, you won't have many true friends. If you don't care about what parents and teachers tell you, then there are consequences.
When I was a teenager, there weren't many things I didn't care about: I am (still) too sensitive for my own good. I cared about what everyone thought of me, if they liked me, if I was popular, if I had the right clothes, etc.
Now I look back and realize the things I cared about weren't worth care in the first place. My Limited Too wardrobe makes for hilariously embarrassing pictures, and who knows where those popular girls are whose opinion meant so much to me? I think I might have enjoyed middle school if I had cared a little less.
So what, then, deserves care? Because not caring can be so dangerous.
Comment and let me know what you think.