I'm singing in the rain... just singing in the rain...
We joke about disturbing news being the sign of the decline of civilization, but articles like this really do suggest to me a sadly backward swinging pendulum.
That, and Anthony Burgess was sadly prescient about a bit of the old ultra-violence:
"...There was nothing I hated more than to see a filthy old drunkie, a-howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and going blurp blurp in between as if it were a filthy old orchestra in his stinking rotten guts. I could never stand to see anyone like that, especially when they were old like this one was..."
Sadly, as someone who believes strongly in abortion as a choice, I'm hesitant to use the words that come to mind regarding the apparent lack of sanctity and respect for life, because I fear those who are anti-abortion will use my words against me. But there's a problem with a society that chooses life at any cost beginning with conception, and then abandons that life once it's born so as not to (heaven forbid) create a "welfare state", and if that life then grows up with disadvantages - or advantages - that lead it to fail to have any moral compass, society is all too eager to end that life under the notion of being "tough on crime." Apparently it's only important to teach that life is important in the womb - after that, yer on yer own.
How to come to some agreement on the necessity of teaching people to love each other, to treat each other with respect, and to respect the lives of people and animals, without that message being hijacked by the Religious Right? And how sad that both of our sides are so cautious about having any overlap in ideas, that neither of us are willing to admit to those overlaps, for fear of ceding any ground to the other side? I do see progress finally being made, with that regard, on environmental issues - some conservative groups are becoming environmentally aware, which is wonderful - but they get pushback from the RR who don't ever want to be seen as agreeing with some "communist hippie."
A push for a more religious State does not automatically bring about a stronger moral compass - it brings about the Taliban. Love and morality are not exclusive property of a belief in god or a saviour - they CAN be taught and instilled in other ways, particularly through example. Let people in authority actually act on the "do unto those as you would have them do unto you" (a bit of philosophy I thoroughly believe in, and not original to the Bible, by the way), and perhaps the masses will follow. Throw out the Ayn Rand culture of "screw everyone else". Bring in the idea that if everyone were to go out of their way to make others happy, it would follow that everyone will therefore be happier. Objectivist "self-interest" means only one person is looking out for you - you. If everyone looks out for everyone else, suddenly you have a whole network of people working to make your life better. It's just good math.
"...As the music came to its climax, I could viddy myself very clear, running and running on like very light and mysterious feet, carving the whole face of the creeching world with my cut throat britva. I was cured all right."
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That, and Anthony Burgess was sadly prescient about a bit of the old ultra-violence:
"...There was nothing I hated more than to see a filthy old drunkie, a-howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and going blurp blurp in between as if it were a filthy old orchestra in his stinking rotten guts. I could never stand to see anyone like that, especially when they were old like this one was..."
Sadly, as someone who believes strongly in abortion as a choice, I'm hesitant to use the words that come to mind regarding the apparent lack of sanctity and respect for life, because I fear those who are anti-abortion will use my words against me. But there's a problem with a society that chooses life at any cost beginning with conception, and then abandons that life once it's born so as not to (heaven forbid) create a "welfare state", and if that life then grows up with disadvantages - or advantages - that lead it to fail to have any moral compass, society is all too eager to end that life under the notion of being "tough on crime." Apparently it's only important to teach that life is important in the womb - after that, yer on yer own.
How to come to some agreement on the necessity of teaching people to love each other, to treat each other with respect, and to respect the lives of people and animals, without that message being hijacked by the Religious Right? And how sad that both of our sides are so cautious about having any overlap in ideas, that neither of us are willing to admit to those overlaps, for fear of ceding any ground to the other side? I do see progress finally being made, with that regard, on environmental issues - some conservative groups are becoming environmentally aware, which is wonderful - but they get pushback from the RR who don't ever want to be seen as agreeing with some "communist hippie."
A push for a more religious State does not automatically bring about a stronger moral compass - it brings about the Taliban. Love and morality are not exclusive property of a belief in god or a saviour - they CAN be taught and instilled in other ways, particularly through example. Let people in authority actually act on the "do unto those as you would have them do unto you" (a bit of philosophy I thoroughly believe in, and not original to the Bible, by the way), and perhaps the masses will follow. Throw out the Ayn Rand culture of "screw everyone else". Bring in the idea that if everyone were to go out of their way to make others happy, it would follow that everyone will therefore be happier. Objectivist "self-interest" means only one person is looking out for you - you. If everyone looks out for everyone else, suddenly you have a whole network of people working to make your life better. It's just good math.
"...As the music came to its climax, I could viddy myself very clear, running and running on like very light and mysterious feet, carving the whole face of the creeching world with my cut throat britva. I was cured all right."
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