of year when we Catholics spend a lot of time dwelling on the life of
Jesus.
For most people, Lent is just that period of time where you give
something up as a symbol of your faith. But it is also a time of
reflection, when we are supposed to think about deepening our
relationship with God.
If you think about it, Jesus was a criminal, and did things far worse
(in that day) than mugging people in parking garages. He died in the
company of criminals, and would rather have been with them than anywhere
else in the world.
The real crimes on this world are poverty, ignorance, and those
attitudes which lead us to think of others as less than human. Martin
Buber said that the nature of evil is when man can substitute an I-It
relationship with an I-Thou relationship to one's fellow man. The more I
think about this, the more it makes sense to me these days.
There have been many criminals in the world who have done a lot of good
things. Thomas Paine, Oscar Wilde, Plato, Gailelo, Columbus, the list
goes on. For all their faults and human frailities, these men did things
that changed our lives and the world we lived in (for better or worse).
The average hood on the street does not have high motives nor does he or
she aspire to change the world. At the same time, they are their
mother's children, someone cared enough to feed them, clothe them, and
teach them enough to survive to this point in their life. It does not
necessarily follow these people are evil, subhuman, or beyond the reach
of human sympathy. They are just as much products of their environment
as we all are.
I know the idea of people being victims of society doesn't go over well
on this list, but (for some faiths) this is the time of year when we
look to the example of our savior for guidance in the world we have
made. In the last two years, I have had my car stolen, had the wheels
stolen off my bike, received a beating by drunks, been cheated in
business deals, seen friends and family members die, etc. I know that it
could be worse, and have forgiven the people who were responsible for
these things. Whether or not this makes me a better person is
debateable, but living without anger over the past is worth thinking
about.
I guess it's fine that you want to hold this view that parking lots are
full of theives and muggers looking to rob you. For Lent, I am more
concerned about why were are living in a world where people need to do
things like this.
M
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Graeme [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 11:40 AM
To: CF-Community
Subject: Re: How to be evil?
> Your vulnerability is your insensitivity to the needs of others. Just
> running these lists is not enough; you must also embrace all the
wackos,
> low-lifes, and degenerates who hang out here if you really want it to
be
> a community.
You know, this is why I support cities building more parking garages.
It's
not just that I need a place to park, oh no! It's that I feel it
absolutely
vital that muggers have decent places and opportunities to find work
too!
-Kevin (It's Monday. And my tongue and cheek have merged.)
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