South Park creators given signed photo of Saddam Hussein

innerSpaceman · 04-10-2009, 02:39 PM

That's not what I meant, Greg. Though, I didn't explain myself fully.

Murderers are the perfect example. They exist, they will always exist. I believe good people should react strongly against murder, and should work against it to the greatest extent possible ... while realizing no amount of work will ever bring an end to it.

Because ending it is not what's important. What's important ... and this is just my particular philosophy - is who we each choose to be in reaction to it. We may never rid the world of murder, but we are living up to our own ideals if we fight against it ... and of course, if our ideals say murder is a bad thing. The ideals of murderers may not say so. And neither one of us is intrinsically right or wrong. Those are human values assigned by man, and which don't exist in nature. Still ... allowing for human concepts of good and evil, I believe the best we can do is fight the "good" fight, though there can never be a victory lest good cease to exist.

Because for anything to exist - so must its opposite. Just as there can be no such thing as Up without a thing known as Down, there can be no 'good' without 'evil.' Murderers must exist so that people who don't murder can also exist.

That is the kind of acceptance I mean. Not that any particular instance of prison guard abuse shouldn't be railed against and battled, but that the phenonomen and the people who fill that necessary role must be accepted ... if we also want compassionate and professional prison guards to exist.

Since I strive to find a balance between supporting my values in the world -and- accepting the imperatives of the universe, I take everything on a case-by-case basis. Abu-Ghraib tends to find me more railing-against, and Saddam forced to watch South Park tends to find me more accepting.

Both are "bad" in my value system. Both are necessary for their opposites to even exist. Since I am pleased to be a person who (I hope) would not seek to torture or humiliate prisoners under my watch, in some sense I am thankful for those that do. They fill a necessary niche in the world. And I am free to be their opposite.

It's an arrangement I rather like.

And I still get rather tickled about this particular bad act.

04-10-2009, 02:39 PM	#37
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	That's not what I meant, Greg. Though, I didn't explain myself fully. Murderers are the perfect example. They exist, they will always exist. I believe good people should react strongly against murder, and should work against it to the greatest extent possible ... while realizing no amount of work will ever bring an end to it. Because ending it is not what's important. What's important ... and this is just my particular philosophy - is who we each choose to be in reaction to it. We may never rid the world of murder, but we are living up to our own ideals if we fight against it ... and of course, if our ideals say murder is a bad thing. The ideals of murderers may not say so. And neither one of us is intrinsically right or wrong. Those are human values assigned by man, and which don't exist in nature. Still ... allowing for human concepts of good and evil, I believe the best we can do is fight the "good" fight, though there can never be a victory lest good cease to exist. Because for anything to exist - so must its opposite. Just as there can be no such thing as Up without a thing known as Down, there can be no 'good' without 'evil.' Murderers must exist so that people who don't murder can also exist. That is the kind of acceptance I mean. Not that any particular instance of prison guard abuse shouldn't be railed against and battled, but that the phenonomen and the people who fill that necessary role must be accepted ... if we also want compassionate and professional prison guards to exist. Since I strive to find a balance between supporting my values in the world -and- accepting the imperatives of the universe, I take everything on a case-by-case basis. Abu-Ghraib tends to find me more railing-against, and Saddam forced to watch South Park tends to find me more accepting. Both are "bad" in my value system. Both are necessary for their opposites to even exist. Since I am pleased to be a person who (I hope) would not seek to torture or humiliate prisoners under my watch, in some sense I am thankful for those that do. They fill a necessary niche in the world. And I am free to be their opposite. It's an arrangement I rather like. And I still get rather tickled about this particular bad act.
	Submit to Quotes