to what extent?
I used to criticize things around me, not for my misfortune but rather behavior which i don't really like. But after pulling out to another's perspective, I've found that I've been really hypocritical.
As it's one's paradigm which dictates his perspectives and behavior, I have been using mine to judge others many a time. And praise the Lord, I don't do it so often. There are many things I will have some say about, be it friendship, traffic, crowded bus, airheads blablabla, I will most certainly have an opinion on.
This finding led me to question on how far should we impose our beliefs on others? If we do it too far, I will call it a sin against rights, but if we do nothing, things just go the way they are, and most of the time it isn't good. Recently I found out on this movement about rights and harmony. It preaches harmony and total acceptance towards the partner. As beautiful as it sounds, it may be far too idealistic in my opinion. How can we stand aside and let loan sharks slaughter your neighbors, thinking "it's their way of carrying things out, i don't know what's going on, i'll leave it to them"? How could your neighbors think "yes, we forgot to pay the debt, and we deserve punishent, and since punishment, to them, is death, we might as well accept it since they control the money."
That's if we do nothing. But there's a reverse effect of doing too much. Leading to conflicts, criticism of even the most constructive nature are turned as daggers upon each other. And secondly, over-depriving of one's rights is, to me just like a sin against a person. Using our paradigm to view their world is well inaccurate and rather hypocritical as it's equally inaccurate and wrong for the other to do the same to you. The problem may never be solved, you'll get outcasted, in the end, no one has achieved nothing. One must be aware that however much morals do appear absolute, they are indisputably not completely absolute.
I think it's up to one to judge. By all means if an action is morally wrong, we should take our stance. Some are practitioners of deontology, for whatever action which the law despises would be put down. Some are utilitarians, for whichever action brings the most satisfaction to the crowd will be the appropriate one. As for me, i believe in ethical altruism and virtue theory, though highly questionable on their authenticity when applied to the individual and when taking the disparity in opinions towards morals and ethics.
Labels: ethics
