Epiphany for the day: The index of civilized behaviour for a society is how many of us consistently hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold others to. We get indignant about the way our politicians behave or about the impunity with which others skip the red light, or spit in public.
Do we exhibit the same level of indignation when we catch ourselves engaged in the same offense, or do we convince ourselves that we had a really really good reason?
Do we exhibit the same level of indignation when we catch ourselves engaged in the same offense, or do we convince ourselves that we had a really really good reason?
2 comments:
I think that depends on whether we have an absolutist moral stance or a situational one. And whether we are absolutely absolutist or situationally absolutist !
^^With due respect, I feel that there is nothing as situational morality - that's like the traffic cop making up rules to catch people and cough money out of them. Morality has to be absolute. Any changes/amendments to it have to be out-of-turn rather than spur of the moment.
As for skipping traffic lights, my epiphany was more of a leadership lesson - the first person to skip a traffic light is a leader of sorts. Because once someone dares, it accords a validity to the act of breaking a rule (similar to the first protestor to take up violence in a protest which has been non violent till that point). Was fascinating to watch this, till I learned the other prt too - in a sea of traffic rule breakers, the first person to stop would be abused, and gradually people will take his lead and stop too. Both kinds of tendencies are important for leaders I respect, but both of them in their respective places.
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