A Passing Thought...

For our regular readers, from time to time Thomas and I will address some issues that have no relevance in the day’s news. After all, we do not just address news stories. We deal with current events, and we deal with day-to-day life. And in this particular case, today is one of those days where I am going to diverge from the day’s news to address an interesting topic. It was presented on Dennis Prager’s radio show, and the subject was "Are you a good person?"

Now many will answer with an emphatic "yes", but as Dennis pointed out, what is the definition of "good"? To the Palestinian suicide bombers, they are doing good on behalf of their people. For Kim Jong-Il, he may think that what he is doing for his people is right, just, and proper, but to the rest of the world he is a monster. So, again, what makes a person good?

And if one were to take the moral relativism argument that liberals invariably fall back on—that no one is really "bad"—then is it not logical to assume that then no one is inherently "good"? Machiavelli stated in The Prince that man is inherently evil. And to a point, that is true. We are. God made us this we. He gave us the ability to choose a path of light, or a path of darkness. It is our choice in the overall scheme of things.

But what is good and what is bad? This is why we have morals instilled in us from the time we are born, and those morals grow with us until the day we die. These morals should be, as they are for myself, never-changing. I know the difference between right and wrong. You do not steal. You do not murder. You do not lie. And in stating that comes a question: What if it is necessary to do any of those things?

Was it okay for those living in Nazi Germany to lie to Nazi officials about the whereabouts of Jews if they knew such a thing? Is it okay for a person to steal food if they are hungry and homeless? Is it all right to kill to protect yourself, your family, or your friends? These all revolve a concept known as situational ethics. It depends on the situation. My answers to those questions are simple. Yes. No. And yes. I say no to the homeless person because he could, if he wanted to, work to gain money to pay for his food, or work off his "debt" to a store.

I know it sounds naive and foolish, but cut me some slack. This is a serious topic, and I am only eighteen; I have much to learn in life. But my morals do not change. They do not waver. What is wrong today for me will be wrong for me tomorrow. But the question remains, are we good people?

I believe I am. I believe I show it everyday. I show it in my thoughts, in my words, and my deeds. That is the only way I can show my "good" side to the world. If I were silent or inactive, no one would truly know my intentions and my leanings. So, I have to show people I am good. To a few, I am sure I am a nut. (Is that not why we chose the name "The Asylum" for our site?) But being slightly off-kilter does not make me bad. It makes me unique, but not bad.

And this also goes to how we look at "good" and "bad", or "evil". What is the difference? As a moral nation, we should know. And I think we do know. We know that our troops are not out shooting civilians, and blowing buildings indiscriminately. We know that our leaders—most of them—have the best intentions for this nation. (Yes, I am aware that the road to Hell is paved with them) They are doing the best job they can with the resources available to them. They do not always succeed, but they try harder than most of us do on a daily basis.

Think about it. We go to work, we go to school, we stay at home and take care of the children. Do we have the innumerable tasks that our leaders must face each day? Is the fate of our nation, of the free world in our hands? No. It is not. We just putter through our lives, doing the best we can. We do the good work we are supposed to do. Those that are evil do their work, too, but their acts go beyond the pale of what we would normally accept in civilized society. And therein lies the crux to the debate.

Society sets the standard with laws. Those laws are supposed to keep us in check. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That applies to us in life the same way it applies to physics. If we do something to break a law, we know there is a consequence. If I murder someone in cold-blood, I will willingly accept the punishment of my actions. If I steal, I will accept the punishment. That is what we should be acting like in society, but as we have seen over many years now, criminals prefer to put their fate in the hands of a lawyer that will do everything in his power to make sure his client is not guilty.

It is easy in our society to pass judgment. We have done so on many occasions. Thomas and I do it on a daily basis every time we post here. We take to task those that blatantly disregard society’s accepted norms and laws. Be they our elected leaders, our media, or at times, even one another. But we do not do it in a particularly malicious fashion. Thomas once remarked that to respond in kind makes us no better than those expressing a viewpoint we disagree with. "There is a time for satire and sarcasm, and there is a time for wit and wisdom." But our views, our beliefs, our ideology does not make us bad. On the other hand, it does not make us good either.

I thoroughly believe that to be deemed good or bad is defined within our actions. "What we do in life echoes in eternity." And it echoes in our lives, and how people see us each and every day. Were I not as good as I believe myself to be, I would not have the friends that I do have, nor would they even choose to acknowledge my very presence. I do not look for glory. I do not seek out fame and recognition. I am just trying to make my way through life, and doing the best job I can at it. I am only human.

The Bunny ;)