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DoingWrongByNotDoing 3 - 09 Mar 2010 - Main.SamWells
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| | I keep thinking back to something Eben brought up in class last week (Tuesday)- namely, the idea that if you see a problem, or something that you don’t think is OK, you should be doing something about it. I think Eben’s comments resonated with me because they struck a chord with a sort of guilty feeling I’ve often had. The guilt doesn’t come from actively doing anything wrong, but from not actively doing anything that seems particularly right. I’ve often felt uncomfortable with the idea that my life could be considered a moral life when I don’t really think I do anything to correct problems that I see around me. I think the issue boils down to a question of inaction as a morally culpable offense. I do think there is a moral imperative to act when we see something that we think is wrong. I think this idea leads to guilt because I don’t think that I do enough to act, and it’s something that I hope to change if I can figure out how. It made me start thinking about ideas that I’ve struggled with before- for instance, what difference is there between letting someone die before your eyes and not giving them (for example’s sake) the five dollars in your pocket that could save them by buying them food, and not sending food or support somewhere when you can spare it and where it could have a similar lifesaving impact? When does not doing something become as wrong as doing something positively wrong? It’s hard for me to figure out the difference- maybe this is because there isn’t a meaningful one.
I’m wondering what other people think about this. If a person sees something wrong in the world and doesn’t do anything about it, is he or she more culpable than someone who simply doesn’t see the wrong, by choice or by chance? It sort of reminds me also of the philosophical question- is a person brave who isn’t scared in the face of danger, or is a person truly brave who is scared and proceeds anyway? I can’t really articulate how these are connected, but I think it has something to do with making active choices and being aware of situations and choosing to overcome them (as opposed to not facing those choices whatsoever). | | |
-- EricaSelig - 08 Mar 2010 | |
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I think of guilt as a lack of clarity, a sort of conflict within oneself. In life, there are risks to both sides, risks in doing the selfish thing and risks in doing the altruistic/right thing. By being selfish, we guarantee a narrow gain in the present, but miss out on an expanded sense of purpose, and miss out on connections with those we care about in the world at large and are able to help through our actions. On the other hand, altruism also poses risks, both the risk of failure to help those we thought would benefit, and risks of others failing to see the value of our contributions. In the end, I think it comes down to what kind of people we want to be as individuals, and what kind of life we think best for ourselves and those we care about. It's hard sometimes to decide on a purpose worth pursuing, but a purpose pursued with tenacity is the key ingredient in a happy life, or so I am told. Whenever I've had a long period of doubt, the best solution has been to stop thinking so hard and do the thing that seemed right from the beginning. Total clarity is perhaps too hard to come by to be worthwhile, and would also make accurate thought unlikely once achieved.
-- SamWells - 9 Mar 2010 |
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