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Originally Posted by 9th Engineer
tw, if you deny the existance of evil in deferance to cultural persective what does this say about your stance on right and wrong? Are you saying that right and wrong are also completely dependent on cultural perspective?
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We tell a child this is right and this is wrong. Do we tell him why? Of course not. We demand that he somehow only know the difference. As children become adults, we hope they understand what is right and what is wrong because they know WHY. To make it easy, we provide 'rules' (ie the law). Does that mean one blindly follows the rules every time? Yes if one does not learn underlying WHYs. But so often, children who grow up to become adults no longer blindly follow the rules if the rules are wrong (this time).
In the Persian Gulf, an American frigate hit a mine and was sinking. A Pentagon Admiral ordered the ship be abandon. The Captain refused and saved his ship. Therefore the Pentagon ordered a Court Marshall. It should be obvious who acted as an adult. So did Lehman who (as undersecretary of the Navy) stepped in and therefore saved this Captain.
Another example. Rules said that when a fire alarm sounded, then all astronauts were to open the escape hatch, slide down a cable, get into an armoured personnel carrier and drive away like hell. The alarm went off. But a shuttle commander also understood WHYs. The shuttle commander violated well established rules.
Today we know that shuttle commander saved seven astronaut lives. Had they followed procedure, then astronauts would have run right into a hydrogen fire that cannot be seen. They would have burned to death. BTW, this is a story that every informed American of the Challenger era should know. It is another example of why we learn from history.
Why are they alive? Because an adult learns to not blindly follow rules. There is no such thing as simple 'good and evil'; 'right and wrong'. Those are concepts for children. An adult learns about reality which means a world chock full of perspectives. Rules are but guidelines - also learned from history. Adults also demand and grasp WHYs. Having demanded WHYs, then seven astronauts are still alive.
Meanwhile, adults who are still children are told (ordered) to blindly follow the rules - good and evil - right and wrong. It's not easy to be an adult. Violate a rule and one is virtually 100% responsible for the consequences. Not all adults are willing to risk acting as an adult either because they never bothered to learn WHYs or they just don't have the balls.
When in doubt, then falling back on 'good verses evil' is easy, safe, and what children do. Adults who actually become adults must learn to replace 'good verses evil' with a grasp of perspectives. That means also demanding what Rush Limbaugh never provides - the WHYs. Becoming an adult demands that person grow up - not just blindly follow the rules.
Culture has nothing to do with it. Culture is (at best) just a symptom of the above concepts. Some cultures are better at grasping these concepts and appreciate a need for adults who are adults.
The Battle of the Bulge is a classic example of what happens when adults must take charge of their own lives. Whereas Germans so often waited for orders, instead, American (understanding what was at stake) took initiative. You may call that culture. I call it the difference between adult children and adult adults. Culture varies when adults act as adults.
And if you read this only once, then you probably don't yet appreciate what was just posted.