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Quote by: Sonart What, because I said "damn... thread"? Sorry, although it strikes me as fairly tame and it wasn't directed at you personally but to your thread, but if you're that sensitive I'll try to refrain.
However, I was trying to make it very clear that I thought it was incredibly rude of you to leave posts on your own thread unanswered while starting a new thread with the same soapbox lecture on the same .... darn... subject. Was there some reason for that beyond simple arrogance in controlling the conversation?
No, it's about making judgements, period. That's not what compassion is. Compassion is simply about being aware of suffering in others and wishing to relieve it.
Well obviously what they don't need is for people to turn and walk away. Perhaps giving money is not the best way to help or the only way to help, but walking away does nothing whatsoever to help. And I'm not condemning walking away, I do it all the time... real life doesn't permit us to be compassionate every minute of every day. But don't think you can rationalize turning away as compassion.
I'm quite aware that such things happen, thank you. But your specific scenerio was a fiction - and you know it - specifically tailored to support your conclusion. As most agenda-driven fiction writing is. Just read anything by, say, Ayn Rand.
Don't play word games with me. Y'know, America used to have things called debtors-prisons, since it was a criminal (adj.) offense (noun) to incur a debt you couldn't repay. It used to be a criminal (adj.) offense (noun) to marry someone of a different race, for a Jew to own property in certain areas or a non-Christian to run for public office in certain states. Just because our current miguided drug laws makes criminals out of victims doesn't make those victims unworthy of our compassion. For someone trying to define what compassion is, you certainly seem guided by a dogmatic set of judgements about who is worthy of compassion and who isn't.
Now if you're up for it, I have a little ficticious scenerio for you, and anyone else who's interested. But first, I need to ask....
Mindonfire, are you a devout and compassionate Christian? And if so, do you believe in eternal damnation?
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Good Day
How are you supposed to relieve the suffering of an individual without making the correct assessment of what type of relief that individual needs. You have to first judge correctly so that you can give the proper treatment or the proper help. If a person is a drug addict you are not relieving his suffering by giving him the means to continue in his addiction.
You are increasing his suffering. An addict is suffering from an addiction. He is forced to endure or experience the distresses that are associated with an addiction. To give him the means to continue in that addiction only increases the distresses that are associated with that addiction.
Suffer: (trans vrb) 1 a : to submit to or be forced to endure *suffer martyrdom* b : to feel keenly : labor under *suffer thirst* 2 : UNDERGO, EXPERIENCE
Secondly to walk away from an addict does not make one uncompassionate. To walk away sends the message to the addict that “Society does not accept your criminal and destructive lifestyle.” This then forces the addict to make a decision. Does he continue on this path and eventually die with this addiction from starvation. Or does he change his life around and become a productive citizen.
Thirdly my specific scenario is not fiction. This happens everyday in the world.
Fourthly Once again, who is a drug addict a victim of? Who forced the drug addict to take drugs? Did someone put a gun to his or her head to make them shoot up? You all need to stop making excuses for those who have chosen their lot in life.
Fifthly Who is talking about drug laws. Is a person who steals a thief before or after the law is passed that makes stealing a crime? It is criminal for an individual to alter his state of mind and put others in possible danger. It has nothing to do with written law. A murderer is still a murderer irregardless of whether your law stipulates it or not.
Sixthly yes I am a Christian and yes I believe in eternal damnation.