REALITY?: Truth

I’m having a hard time today winning an argument with myself. Basically, while I want so badly to not only understand, but be able to form an intelligent opinion on some of the things that are currently in the news, I am sadly lacking in both areas. It just seems that with some tough things going on right now in my personal life, it’s difficult for me to expand my focus to really learn about current events without giving it more than a surface scan. I’m feeling rather ignorant, and this is compounded by feeling selfish for putting my own problems above something as devastating globally as what is happening in Iraq in particular. Feeling totally inadequate to comment except from gut feelings, I’d rather at the very least lead you to some articles that have affected me, but by no means can offer either myself or anyone else a complete picture, nor establish a completely informed and unbiased point of view.

On Eve Tushnet, this article. WOULD YOU CONSENT?: Ariel Dorfman in The Guardian: Is torture ever justified? about the horrifying behavior of our own American soldiers towards prisoners of war brings in the question as raised in The Brothers Karamazov, and in my own recollection of the short story, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, by Ursula K. LeGuin. The moral and philosophical questions raised are not easily answered. I feel so inadequate here in making any kind of statement, and also guilty that I will not take the necessary time right now to read, and learn, and study something so pivotal to our lives.

Another issue that I’ve been trying to understand is moral responsibility, and how it has changed over the generations. Psychology and therapy have created labels, it seems to me, for aberrant human behavior, and these labels seem to give everyone a sigh of relief to have a little box to place people into and thus the behavior itself is not only too easily forgiven, but too easily goes unhealed.

This article at Spiked Online entitled, “Don’t Blame Me, Blame My Stress” by Tana Dineen uses the example of Svend Robinson, a Canadian politician who has been accused of stealing a $50,000 diamond ring. Dineen, author of Manufacturing Victims: What the psychology industry is doing to people,offers a viewpoint I find myself agreeing with, for the most part, but again, cannot take a stand because I just simply am ignorant on this subject as well until and unless I were able to put time and research into this very important change society is making to itself.

While it seems so useless and selfish to put any time into my own feeble attempts at fiction writing while so very much is going on around me that is so very urgent, I beg forgiveness for my ways. I must do the best I can at what I can do best, and forego for now at least making greater efforts at understanding the world beyond my little orb. At least I hope that by not speaking out about something I do not know, I will not be adding to the confusion or ignorance that clouds these and other issues. I am sorry I cannot do more.