The Good, the Bad and the Indifferent
In a conversation within Xena's car, I was contemplating how our attitudes in life mirror some of the precepts in criminal law.
Let's take the analogy of homicide.
Good people generally know that it is wrong to kill and they generally, do not. And there are people that feels that it is not wrong to kill, with malicious intent - let's call them "bad people" and therefore, they kill. That's called murder - killing with pre-meditated and malicious intent.
And then, there are the people who kill WITHOUT malicious intent - they killed, unintentionally, perhaps due to a permanent (or momentary) insanity, a loss of control provoked by a fit of anger or simply, a reckless or negligent act where they did not foresee the risk of their actions to others - no matter how unreasonable it might seem to others.
The net effect is that someone still gets killed and it's still a homicide. But the degree of moral culpability that we shoulder, on the person committing the homicide, is different. The law recognizes the moral difference between having and not having the intent to kill - the latter is called manslaughter.
If found guilty, the convicted may still get punished, but the severity of the sentence imposed is lesser and may have more of a rehabilitation bias, instead of a retributive one.
I asked myself - If the law recognizes such a difference, should we in life too?
A person that does not hurt others, may be defined as a good person. A person that hurts others maliciously and intentionally, may be called a bad person. But what do you call a person who does not specifically intend to hurt you - but by virtue of his or her self-destructive nature or actions, does? (and where it is foreseeable that someone else too, will get hurt?)
What do you call the Indifferent - people who don't intend to hurt other people but can't seem to stop themselves from eventually doing so? And where do you lump them on a culpability scale? And if you don't treat them, like the way you respond to "bad people", how do you treat them?
Do you give them a second chance? The law assumes, sometimes, that human beings are capable of change and paves the opportunity for mercy and starting over. Should we assume any less? But do our lives get better or worse, by risking involvement with The Indifferent? The law has sometimes been wrong on its corrective and rehabilitation bent and it is the public that usually pays for it.
Or do you brand The Indifferent as destructive - to be avoided at all costs? Simply because they don't know anymore between the lines of right and wrong - and without conscience or malicious intent, at that. Are they more dangerous than "bad people" - because they don't know what's going to happen next? And life just "happens" to them - like being stuck in an intoxication that never sobers?
A part of me tells me that The Indifferent are animals that we have to understand on a case-to case basis. Each animal is different - but they all have the potential to hurt others, perhaps as shown by previous actions or history.
Perhaps, we have to prepare and harden inside and to expect the worst from them - because it could be a part of their nature to be so. But we must also bear the seeds of hope in them - if God may forgive, then it is an act of divinity for us, to find it in our hearts to forgive as well.
Can you love The Indifferent? As mothers love their sons in spite of them being chronic alcoholics, compulsive gamblers or woman-abusers? Yes, it is possible - though it may repulse many of us. Perhaps, that shows how limitless some forms of love are. And how human we are, despite how strong we try to be.
Know the animal intimately. Realize that it may hurt you, repeatedly. Shield yourself, so that you will not get hurt again. Prepare to take hard and necessary cold-hearted actions. But always leave a door for hope and repentance - because God does, and so should we. People can change, if they choose to do so.
That's my conclusion - so far. Just because I don't know any better, when it comes to The Indifferents of this world.
Let's take the analogy of homicide.
Good people generally know that it is wrong to kill and they generally, do not. And there are people that feels that it is not wrong to kill, with malicious intent - let's call them "bad people" and therefore, they kill. That's called murder - killing with pre-meditated and malicious intent.
And then, there are the people who kill WITHOUT malicious intent - they killed, unintentionally, perhaps due to a permanent (or momentary) insanity, a loss of control provoked by a fit of anger or simply, a reckless or negligent act where they did not foresee the risk of their actions to others - no matter how unreasonable it might seem to others.
The net effect is that someone still gets killed and it's still a homicide. But the degree of moral culpability that we shoulder, on the person committing the homicide, is different. The law recognizes the moral difference between having and not having the intent to kill - the latter is called manslaughter.
If found guilty, the convicted may still get punished, but the severity of the sentence imposed is lesser and may have more of a rehabilitation bias, instead of a retributive one.
I asked myself - If the law recognizes such a difference, should we in life too?
A person that does not hurt others, may be defined as a good person. A person that hurts others maliciously and intentionally, may be called a bad person. But what do you call a person who does not specifically intend to hurt you - but by virtue of his or her self-destructive nature or actions, does? (and where it is foreseeable that someone else too, will get hurt?)
What do you call the Indifferent - people who don't intend to hurt other people but can't seem to stop themselves from eventually doing so? And where do you lump them on a culpability scale? And if you don't treat them, like the way you respond to "bad people", how do you treat them?
Do you give them a second chance? The law assumes, sometimes, that human beings are capable of change and paves the opportunity for mercy and starting over. Should we assume any less? But do our lives get better or worse, by risking involvement with The Indifferent? The law has sometimes been wrong on its corrective and rehabilitation bent and it is the public that usually pays for it.
Or do you brand The Indifferent as destructive - to be avoided at all costs? Simply because they don't know anymore between the lines of right and wrong - and without conscience or malicious intent, at that. Are they more dangerous than "bad people" - because they don't know what's going to happen next? And life just "happens" to them - like being stuck in an intoxication that never sobers?
A part of me tells me that The Indifferent are animals that we have to understand on a case-to case basis. Each animal is different - but they all have the potential to hurt others, perhaps as shown by previous actions or history.
Perhaps, we have to prepare and harden inside and to expect the worst from them - because it could be a part of their nature to be so. But we must also bear the seeds of hope in them - if God may forgive, then it is an act of divinity for us, to find it in our hearts to forgive as well.
Can you love The Indifferent? As mothers love their sons in spite of them being chronic alcoholics, compulsive gamblers or woman-abusers? Yes, it is possible - though it may repulse many of us. Perhaps, that shows how limitless some forms of love are. And how human we are, despite how strong we try to be.
Know the animal intimately. Realize that it may hurt you, repeatedly. Shield yourself, so that you will not get hurt again. Prepare to take hard and necessary cold-hearted actions. But always leave a door for hope and repentance - because God does, and so should we. People can change, if they choose to do so.
That's my conclusion - so far. Just because I don't know any better, when it comes to The Indifferents of this world.
posted by Stingrayz | 3:36 AM
1 Comments:
I think everyone has different lines of forgiveness. Some (usually those who have been hurt and betrayed) are more careful of things happening and therefore do not forgive easily or forget ever. While we understand, we cannot say that they are right in what they are doing, but neither can we say that they are wrong. Everyone has different opinions based on the experiences that they have and the sense of self preservation within them. Opening yourself up to forgive is indeed a great thing, but be careful to tread the line of foolishness - there are some people to whom forgiveness are merely words. When someone asks for forgiveness, make sure they have learnt their lesson. If not, their apologies are worth nothing.
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