Human Rights In Elie Wiesel's The Perils Of Indifference

What are human rights? Human rights are rights that are believed to belong justifiably to everybody. Everyone has natural human rights by simply just being born, however, a large amount of people’s human rights has been violated. A big reason why is because of the amount of indifference. The actualization of human rights for everyone is not possible.
There are too many people in this world and not enough man power to police injustice. As Elie Wiesel states in his speech, “The Perils of Indifference”, “Two world wars, countless civil wars, the senseless chain of assassinations (Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King Jr., Sadat, Rabin), bloodbaths in Cambodia and Algeria, India and Pakistan, Ireland and Rwanda…” (14-20). More so, through both great wars and genocides, assassinations and civil wars, it has shown that there is too much conflict, people, and

Wiesel exclaims, “Of course, indifference can be tempting—more than that, seductive. It is so such easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes” (28-30). This reveals why so many people are indifferent. It is much easier to not care about anybody else’s trials and well-being because you must worry about your own first. However, does that still justify people’s indifference? Will that bring the world together and united? Also mentioned in Wiesel’s book “Night”, “Look at the fires! Look at the flames! Flames everywhere… Once again, the young men bound and gagged her. When they actually struck her, people shouted their approval” (26). To add, this story of a mother shouting that she sees fire and flames and no one seems to care, shows that even people being affected by indifference, can themselves be indifferent as well. Therefore, indifference overshadows caring in even the worst and most needing of