Index 
Acceptance Compassion Morality
Caring: Petronius asked what I would feel like if my daughter had been one of the victims of a recent “mass” killing of 12 people in a theatre. This was in response to my opinion that such things are just “in the way of things”. I suspect the rhetorical question was intended to elicit from me some “caring”, anticipating an answer something like, “I would be devastated!”. With that answer in mind, jumping to, “So, you DO care”(true) and, here, the jump, “so as a caring human being you must also grieve the loss that others’ then must feel”. My response to Petronius did not follow his expectations. “I am sorry I have this failure as a human, for my heart is not big enough for the misery of the world.” Yes, people who closely knew those 12 children probably suffered much anguish. Yes “human potentials” were for good and ill needlessly extinguished. Yes, 12 of God’s points of worship (awareness of “him”) were extinguished. It happens at a rate of about 200,000 each day. I’m sorry, my heart is just not that big. I am unable to carry the grief you want me to carry.” Petronius relented a little but asked, “Aren’t you afraid it might happen to you or yours?” at which I had to laugh. Petronius then offered that the fear was not for him but for his granddaughter. To which I responded with a rhetorical question of my own, “Where is your granddaughter now?” Petronius: “She’s at the lake with her parents; they drive there (250 miles) every weekend. You would know that if you cared. But what’s that got to do with it?” The risk to your granddaughter from traveling every weekend on the highways 500 miles every weekend is much much greater than her risk from a madman on a murdering spree. Yet you encourage such travel as proper for the education and pleasure of a youngster, as well it may be. But if you don’t fear the travel and its risk. I suggest your fear of murder by a madman is but a vanity. I suggest perhaps you loudly profess sorrow and fear to make a show for others about how much you “care”, feeling perhaps that the “show” is necessary to hide the fact that you really don’t care, but think also that such feelings are “sinful”; also thinking other people so professing really do “care”, and you are “odd-man” out, so it is a failure in you. Because other people do care (See how they profess?), I must join then lest they see my sin” “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”. No, Petronius, I don’t care more than usual about the latest mass murder.  What are we about? We currently have far more resources than are needed to feed, clothe, and house all people on earth. What else do we need to be content? ISTMRN if the answer is, “more”, it will never be had. We spend a lot of time lamenting things “that are not” rather than enjoying things that are. |