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DoingWrongByNotDoing 5 - 12 Mar 2010 - Main.DavidGoldin
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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). | | | I think that this is the kind of power that Eben is shaking us up about. Not the power to volunteer in a spring break caravan or the power to bring in a homeless man - its the power to use our degree to make systemic change. And I am really glad he has stressed it so emphatically.
AerinMiller - 11 Mar 2010 | |
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> | @Erica
I have felt the same way far too often. There was an underpass about 2 blocks from my (inner city) high school which had steam vents under it. During 10th grade, homeless people who lived there used to sneak into my high school to use the bathrooms. Every few months, a police officer would catch one of them and would arrest them for trespassing, handcuff them and drag them through the halls kicking and screaming. This was quite the spectacle, and almost invariably we would get up and leave our classes and watch it. Seeing a screaming homeless person in handcuffs was far more interesting than learning geometry or social studies. Needless to say, in 11th grade they installed scanners at all of the doors and the problem was "solved". But the images stayed with me and for the rest of high school I felt somewhat guilty that there was so much need so close, and I wasn't doing anything to help.
To this day, I am struggling with the best way to take action (or to take a mix of actions) to get help to those who need it most. I think that it requires a series of different moves. Giving money is one. Helping individuals with specific legal problems is another. And working towards systemic change as lawyers is yet another. Doing one of these alone won't have a huge impact - but a mix of the three hopefully will.
@Aerin
I both agree and disagree with what you say. I think that using our licenses to help make systemic changes is of vital importance. Eben certainly has stressed this. But at the same time, I think that Eben has also stressed that we need to use our power on an individual level as well, especially in our discussion about Joseph Stack. Working to make big changes is important. There are a lot of problems at the macro level, and if we don't work to solve them, it is hard to see who will. At the same time, we must work at the micro level as well. There are a lot of individuals who have issues that we can help them find solutions to. They need one good lawyer who will work with them. This can be the difference between life and death. Finding these people and helping them get through their problems today is of vital importance as well. It is very easy to get caught up at the systemic level, trying to make changes that will affect people 20 years down the road, but to forget about the homeless man who doesn't have dinner and a warm bed today is a huge mistake. Figuring out a way to balance these two is important, and it is one of the things that I have taken away from this class thus far.
-- DavidGoldin - 11 Mar 2010 |
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