The moral implications of nothingness
There are moral dimensions to the word nothing in the english language. This can easiliest be discerned when we catch someone doing something rather interesting, when he or she gets caught in it. The usual response to the religious angst that arises out of the implications of being seen in it is usually: I am not doing nothing wrong. Note how unique this phrase is because one can not say that one is doing nothing right. The answer is readily obvious, if one is doing nothing right then it usally confers upon all our efforts that something is going rather awry and that which one really wants is to do something right but alas! it just doesn't happen.
However, doing nothing wrong has more abstract and deeply troublesome consequences for its utterer. When one has said said phrase one immediately places oneself in the suspect category. We are thus placed because we readily admit to ourselves that although one is doing nothing wrong it has crossed one's mind that indeed, the effect of what one might be doing could be interpreted as being wrong and no matter how wont are appearences willing to deceive us the case, we argue by the tone we place on the phrase, it is not so.
In fact, when we utter said phrase we are inviting the hearer to partake in this moral dilema. Indeed, we ask our hearer to be judge of the action and perhaps, with a little luck, to take our side, to do nothing wrong then carries a host of troubles for all who end up in its uttered vicinity, it is inviting one to weigh in the moral status of the act in question.
The word nothing here then acquieres a modifying status. It cancels, sends to oblivion all thoughts that might arise in the head of the listener, the recipient of the phrase uttered. Its sole purpose is to erase all prejudgement that might arise in the eyes of the seer of said comportment.
Curiously enough though in spanish this is the same case, no estoy haciendo nada malo goes he phrase as well with the same implications as mentioned in english and just as well it is unique because no estoy haciendo nada bueno has more or less the same connotations as in english. The exception lies in that in spanish, the latter is mostly used for vagrant sons and daughter as they age and seem to be going nowhere.
However, doing nothing wrong has more abstract and deeply troublesome consequences for its utterer. When one has said said phrase one immediately places oneself in the suspect category. We are thus placed because we readily admit to ourselves that although one is doing nothing wrong it has crossed one's mind that indeed, the effect of what one might be doing could be interpreted as being wrong and no matter how wont are appearences willing to deceive us the case, we argue by the tone we place on the phrase, it is not so.
In fact, when we utter said phrase we are inviting the hearer to partake in this moral dilema. Indeed, we ask our hearer to be judge of the action and perhaps, with a little luck, to take our side, to do nothing wrong then carries a host of troubles for all who end up in its uttered vicinity, it is inviting one to weigh in the moral status of the act in question.
The word nothing here then acquieres a modifying status. It cancels, sends to oblivion all thoughts that might arise in the head of the listener, the recipient of the phrase uttered. Its sole purpose is to erase all prejudgement that might arise in the eyes of the seer of said comportment.
Curiously enough though in spanish this is the same case, no estoy haciendo nada malo goes he phrase as well with the same implications as mentioned in english and just as well it is unique because no estoy haciendo nada bueno has more or less the same connotations as in english. The exception lies in that in spanish, the latter is mostly used for vagrant sons and daughter as they age and seem to be going nowhere.