Are People Good or Bad?

We tend to think that people are either good or bad. So if someone we consider as good does something wrong (whether it's a priest, a civil rights activist, or a politician), we're shocked. I was wondering about this subject until I read a book by a psychiatrist who said that each person has good and bad characteristics. We view a person as good if we focus on their good characteristics. We view a person as bad if we focus on their bad characteristics. This made sense to me. I always wondered why people I perceived as being bad, were loved by others. Those people must see something good in that person. Perhaps this is the reason why Jesus asked us to forgive others. So maybe next time, we shouldn't be too harsh with others for their imperfections, since we also have our own weaknesses.

Can a Society Ban What It Believes is Wrong?

You've heard politicians say they're morally or personally opposed to something but refuse to "impose" their beliefs on others. If they were referring to something like gambling, then I'd agree that they can't impose this on those who don't think gambling is wrong. But what about something like slavery? Even though Southerners believed in it, the Union banned it anyway. Why? What's the difference? It's because gambling is not an act of injustice, while slavery is. That's why societies have a right to ban unjust acts to protect the common good. So next time you hear politicians say they're morally opposed to something but will not "impose" their beliefs on others, beware! If it deals with an act of injustice, then this means they're either spineless, or lacking in intelligence. Would you vote for such politicians?

Conceived Through Rape

I had a friend whose cousin was the victim of a date rape. Her cousin became pregnant and delivered a baby girl. My friend said the baby grew up to be a beautiful, happy and intelligent kid. Everyone, including the mother, loved that child. This brought to my mind some questions. How do you think this little girl feels each time someone says that it's OK to abort a baby, if the baby was conceived through rape? If you meet this child, would you tell her, straight to her face, that it would have been OK to terminate her life just because she was conceived through rape? I can only imagine the thoughts and questions going through her mind: "Why should I be terminated? What did I do wrong? Did I commit a crime worthy of death? Was this my fault?" Maybe we should remember these questions next time this issue comes up.

Extraordinary Compassion

When we hear the word compassion, we normally associate it with feelings of pity for the less fortunate. We don't often associate this feeling with people who may anger us in any way. But one day, I heard the news that my co-worker's son was murdered by another man. Of course, her grief would have been unimaginable. Any mother would feel the same way. But what surprised me was when she felt compassion for the murderer's mother. She was imagining what the other mother was going through. She asked herself "was the other mother wondering where she went wrong in raising her kid", or "was the other mother fearful that her son may be executed for this murder". While she had every right to feel angry, she did not. It made me feel a bit ashamed of myself for being angry at others for less serious matters. Perhaps we all could be more compassionate, and less angry, towards those who annoy us in our daily lives.

Is Right or Wrong Really Subjective?

Everyone is currently in shock over the tragic murders in Virginia Tech. So am I. But as I browsed the Internet, I came across an article written by someone who claimed that there was no such thing as right or wrong, since right or wrong is merely subjective. I believe this is called moral relativism. I'd like to pose some questions for everyone to ponder - do you believe that the gunman's actions were objectively wrong? And if so, do you really think that your belief was purely a subjective decision only?