Help
Sign In
QaR
June 2009 
The Good, the Bad, and the Baffled
Posted on Jun 2nd, 2009
by 
WonderlandAlli
WonderlandAlli
Please read the entire post before replying, thank you.
"Recently, a doctor was murdered in his church."
People would generally agree that this statement can make you feel as if something bad has happened.
"Recently, a doctor who aborted pregnancies was murdered in his church."
This statement would raise hackles on different people for different reasons. For pro-lifers, its the abortion part. For pro-choicers, its the death of a man thatcarried out a medical procedure a woman chose to have. Some people think this was a bad man and that its good he was killed. Others think this was a good man and that it was bad he was killed. This statement refers to the same situation as the first statement but would get a much more dramatic reaction from people.
Now, don't go into a for/against abortion rant as a reply to this. That is not the point here. This was an example only.
People make a decision as they read it, was this a good or a bad thing? Was it a mix? What I wonder is, why do we decide these things? Is it nature or nuture to have to decide X is good Y is bad? There's obviously no real answer to this, this kind of question leads to circles of flaming and self righteousness, whatever side you may be on. It may even be a moot point, like trying to argue that God does or does not exist. So what makes you choose?
When we read the statement we feel something inside, a tightness can make us feel something bad happened, a lightness can make us feel something good happened. But different people will have a different reaction to the same statement. But that seems to be about as far as it goes, a tightness or lightness, to make this a question of physical nature rather than mental nurture.
If something is good to one, why is it not good to all, and vice versa for bad? Does good or bad really exist, especially in nature? Or are we all bullshitting ourselves? If we all truly treasured and nurtured good, would greed be so rapidly destroying our world (both in the ecosystem and how humans treat one another?)
"Recently, a doctor was murdered in his church."
People would generally agree that this statement can make you feel as if something bad has happened.
"Recently, a doctor who aborted pregnancies was murdered in his church."
This statement would raise hackles on different people for different reasons. For pro-lifers, its the abortion part. For pro-choicers, its the death of a man thatcarried out a medical procedure a woman chose to have. Some people think this was a bad man and that its good he was killed. Others think this was a good man and that it was bad he was killed. This statement refers to the same situation as the first statement but would get a much more dramatic reaction from people.
Now, don't go into a for/against abortion rant as a reply to this. That is not the point here. This was an example only.
People make a decision as they read it, was this a good or a bad thing? Was it a mix? What I wonder is, why do we decide these things? Is it nature or nuture to have to decide X is good Y is bad? There's obviously no real answer to this, this kind of question leads to circles of flaming and self righteousness, whatever side you may be on. It may even be a moot point, like trying to argue that God does or does not exist. So what makes you choose?
When we read the statement we feel something inside, a tightness can make us feel something bad happened, a lightness can make us feel something good happened. But different people will have a different reaction to the same statement. But that seems to be about as far as it goes, a tightness or lightness, to make this a question of physical nature rather than mental nurture.
If something is good to one, why is it not good to all, and vice versa for bad? Does good or bad really exist, especially in nature? Or are we all bullshitting ourselves? If we all truly treasured and nurtured good, would greed be so rapidly destroying our world (both in the ecosystem and how humans treat one another?)
Access: Public
Good questions all, Alli. And the point you make about how we decide, is very insightful.
Thank you [and haven't you been away for ages?]
Hey Meenakshi!! :)
Yeah I've been a busy girl is all. Though I still gnaw on tough questions in my head as I run around. I've got two jobs going on and I will be moving my hubby down from Canada in July.
That's something to look forward to…isn't it great that thinking doesn't take the place of action?
Yeah, I sent the rest of the paperwork stuff out today, should be the last batch of paperwork for this. :)