Did my headline shock you? Good. I want to shock people and wake them up.

We are about four weeks into the third quarter, and I can’t believe it! I have so much to do before the quarter ends — heck — before the week ends. My work just keeps piling up, but I am not motivated to do any of it. Am I the only one feeling this way?

What I am feeling is apathy. Apathy is a lack of concern or interest in something. In my case, that’s school work. I have been doing my work, but not to the best of my ability. I want to change this, but somehow I feel as if I am falling deeper and deeper into my apathy instead, and that’s why I’m putting out this call for the death penalty — death to APATHY, that is.

“It’s a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares any more; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little…mediocrity,” said Richard Yates, author of Revolutionary Road.

Mediocrity is similar to apathy. It is the state of being, well, mediocre…just average. It is the sense of complete lack of interest. It is the feeling of just not caring what happens or how things will affect you.

I’ve been seeing apathy not only in myself, but in our school as well. In the past weeks, for instance, I have experienced people cheating on homework and tests — taking the easy way out. There are only two reasons why I think people would cheat.

The first one is that they have busy schedules, which could include sports and clubs. More than likely though, I think people have lost interest in and concern for their school work.

Ultimately, we are all suffering from apathy. We are all just trying to make it through the year dragging poor Apathy along like an anchor.

I know that the end of the school year can’t get here fast enough, and you are tired, but this is the most important time in your year. As they say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” So, get going.

Seniors, apply for those scholarships, get your college deposits down, figure out your next move, and get moving on your homework.

Juniors, your research papers are due by the end of this quarter. That’s closer than you think. It is time to get down to business and focus.

Underclassmen, you may think that this doesn’t apply to you, but you’re wrong. Nearly every senior will tell you that it’s important to get good grades every year. When you become a senior, you’ll learn that colleges look at all of your grades, from freshman year to senior year. If you slack now, you’re closing some doors on your future.

It is time to stop skating by. There’s no such thing as being “over it.” Instead, get “on top of it” and take care of business.

Please join me in wishing Apathy a quick and much-needed death. Long live Diligence!