Thought of the day

[unixronin]

A discussion on dishonorable behavior among candidates for public office led, via neuroses about what constitutes moral behavior, to discussion of the Puritans (and a remembered quote about the Puritans living their lives constantly haunted by the gnawing fear that someone, somewhere might be having a good time), and thence to the following observation:

Assuming for the moment a belief in a god or gods which I do not in practice hold, I would not go so far as to say that happiness (rather than cleanliness as in the proverb) is next to godliness; but I would most definitely say that one cannot begin to approach godliness without first achieving happiness.  (And by happiness, I do not mean merely the smug faux-moral satisfaction of seeing your own self-chosen misery imposed upon others.)

Comments

[ithildae]

"seeing your own self-chosen misery imposed on others" is, in my opinion, the principle failing of the Democratic party, and their associated causes. The Republicans have other issues, but imposing behavior by edict is not the main one.

[unixronin]

Except when it comes to what people do in their own bedrooms and who they do it with. Way too many of the Republican Party core get really hot under the collar about that one.


I was more thinking in terms of religion than of politics, though ... but the gripping hand is, beyond a certain point there's damned little difference. Both eventually become velvet dogma thinly stretched over an iron fist.

[ithildae]

My anecdotal experience is that the group wanting to prohibit behavior is vocal, but small in the Republican party. Most of them tend to be pretty libertarian. Take personal responsibility, don't screw anyone over. My view is that that is the core.

In any branch of life, we make our choices, and then we become the servant of those choices. What I did yesterday, or last year, will often preclude what I can do tomorrow (or today.) If those choices are forced by someone else, the fist gleams, otherwise, I don't tend to notice. The real rub comes when I make choices for short term objectives, and it is now the long term, so I don't get what I want.

I recognize that some may view my choices as constricting, I may feel the same way about them. Or, worse, that they don't have a foundation to build on. It is all a matter of perspective. Those choices affect, Religion, Politics, Work, Family, Life.