🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2ecmlbINNrjr@tortoise.cis.ohio-state.edu> cai@cis.ohio-state.edu (shuofeng cai) writes:
>	Human nature being the way it is, behind all the meaningless discussion

Human Nature?  Let me propose the following:  YOUR NATURE IS LEARNED.  Not
all cultures/religions teach such a selfish high regard for one's belongings
over a human life.

>of justice, rights, law, tradition, morality, etc.., believe it or not, NO one
>actually cares about others when his/her own rights(whatever it is called) are
>violated, to protect his/her rights, any possible means will be used, not 
>seldomly at the expense of other people's life in the history of human race. 

A Zen story:

	Two monks were walking along a path and began to cross over a 
	small creek.  The first monk stopped and pondered aloud, "What
	a life it must be as a fish."  The second monk responded, "Who
	are YOU to presume you know the nature of fishness."  To which
	the first monk responded, "How arrogant of you to presume I
	*don't* know the nature of fishness."  At which point both monks
	walked on, enlightened.

How presumptious of YOU to state with fact that you know what others think.

>To most people, human rights means his/her own rights, especially when things 
>become really tricky.	No matter what your belief is, no matter how you talk 
>like a supreme court judge, if somebody happens to break into your house, 
>you might as well shoot the person, as decisively as anybody else, with all 
>the pride and without any regret.

What if *you* walked into the wrong house on your way to a Halloween Party?

click...click...BOOOOMMMMMM, you're dead.

Is this the kind of society you want to live in?  Not me.


This thread has been dancing around a very basic issue of today's society:
CRIME PAYS.  The end to crime will happen when crime no longer pays.

Creating death penalty for less serious crimes will not work for one basic
reason: not very many criminals are actually caught.  Most criminals are
not caught the first time they commit a crime, nor the 2nd, 3rd....  Robberys
are usually perpetrated when the residents are away.  Very, very few crime
allows you the opportunity to protect your property in person.  Statisitics
also show that gun owners run a higher chance of being shot with their own
guns, than shooting a criminal.

Sure, many repeat criminals exist.  Many new criminals are being born this
very moment, or are they?  What happens to a person to send him down a path of
life in which committing crime is the norm?  Psychologists have pondered this
idea for a long time, some say it is inherited, some say it is learned.  The
answer is immaterial.  

Instead, we must all work together to create a society in which it is more
rewarding to follow the rules than it is to break them. Mutual cooperation
*is* a basic nature of sapiens.  This can be evidenced by the very fact 
that you and I are able to communicate in this newsgroup.


Gerry Cermak
student & Dynamic Optimist.