Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00487)

After the dust has settled, it seems there is more agreement on the
role of money than was first apparent.

Anyway, Kym and Chuck raised some interesting questions.

Someone (original poster's name lost) wrote:

> That's why they should do all they can to have more than morals with
> which to fight.

And Chuck responded:

> I agree.  Moral suasion only works on those who can be swayed.
> Everyone else needs either money or cannon.

For a behavioral change to be permanent and of good effect, backed by
sincerity, attitudes have to change. We have to suppose that somewhere
deep inside people is something that resonates to morals.
Unfortunately, depending on the person and circumstances, it can take
lifetimes to come out.

When behavior hurts others, out of immediate necessity we resort to
outward enforcement. Positive change, therefore, is influenced on
several levels:

1. Addressing attitudes
2. By self serving incentives, such as monetary rewards
3. By civil laws
4. By law enforcement, up to and including imprisonment.

At what level do you prefer to work at? Most "religious" figures
worked primarily at level 1. Jesus, for example, did so totally.

Judging how much "intervention" is called for when something hurts
others is a rather gray area. While I personally think there is no
victimless crime and that we all share the same psychic air, we are
also all human and sometimes hurt others out of ignorance. We are
asked to bear one another's sins to some degree.

I prefer to respect a person's volition. If I think something is wrong
or it harms others, I'll try to be maintain an attitude not of
condemnation, but of trying to help. Sometimes that means speaking up.

I know I sound like a broken record on this, but discerning a behavior
that is harmful need not be judgmental. "Judge not that ye be not
judged." In other words, we remember that we make mistakes out of
ignorance too. But a mistake is a mistake.