Dear Ruby Sea,

A dispirited person is definitely depressed--feeling low, aching, miserable, on the point of tears, or wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

I agree with you that the apathetic person is in another place entirely. Feeling nothing. Perhaps once dispirited, but now feeling nothing. Not caring. Neither a little happy--nor a little sad. Not even neutral, which is actually a pretty decent mental state because it allows minute fluctuations of pain and pleasure.

But the poor apathetic feels nothing. At least with a dispirited person there's hope for movement toward a better emotional level. But with the apathetic person, you've got to get in there and make something go. It's like charging a dead engine! Apathy is a lot closer to death than dispiritedness....if dispiritedness is a word. Calling all tswums!!! Calling all tswums!!!

Bliss remorse,
Woewind