Yet the desert masters were careful to distinguish between “true” and “false” indifference. True indifference was a fruit of contemplation, a direct result of disciplined attentiveness. The “no” of desert apatheia could emerge only out of deep certainty about the “yes” of the gospel. Detachment from the world and its values required informed, deliberate choices about what does and does not matter in light of Jesus and the inbreaking of his kingdom. True indifference is rooted in a very conscious caring.
