Although I understand why such agreements are made, I feel that if everyone would simply take personal responsibility for their own actions, there wouldn't be a need for it. I know I am fairly idealistic and perhaps hold a more optimistic view of how society functions than is sometimes good for me, but I have to believe we are at least moving in the right general direction. Things like this are opportunities to learn and to modify our behavior for the better.
But if our public behavior as it seems, relies on legal agreements based on fear of litigation rather than common sense and personal ethics, how can we modify anything? Sometimes holding to our personal ethics takes a supreme act of courage because it opens us up to legal and social retribution. But when your personal ethics tends to include a healthy respect for the law and the law conflicts with what fosters the most unity and understanding in a situation, what then?
Even many people I know and respect leap imediately to the solution "Sue them!" whenever there is a problem. "Them" being of course whatever faceless entity is in question. They forget that even though "Them" is an entity it is made up of a whole bunch of "me and you's." If you win a million dollar lawsuit with a pharmeceutical company who didn't mention their medicine could cause dry mouth, that is a million dollars of important research that just fell squarly in the laps of non-profits and the government; it's a million dollars worth of prescription cost increases that will make a million less people able to afford their medication; it's a million dollars in insurance cost increases to protect big business from the next lawsuit; it's a million minutes of time the courts could be spending on cases that have more social benefit.
And it perpetuates a Litigius societal norm in which the only voice of reason is often forcibly silenced.
If one person could stand up and take personal responsibility and save a school full of children from having to watch their teachers and parents devolve before their very eyes it seems like an obvious choice to me. But I know I am just as self-deluded as the next person. Sometimes it is easier to be dishonest with myself than to say, "hey, I screwed up. I apologize." Hopefully the clarity will come with some time and perspective and the honesty will follow.
I apologize for the novel, Prim! I just found out that I feel rather strongly about this situation.
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-23 09:43 am (UTC)But if our public behavior as it seems, relies on legal agreements based on fear of litigation rather than common sense and personal ethics, how can we modify anything? Sometimes holding to our personal ethics takes a supreme act of courage because it opens us up to legal and social retribution. But when your personal ethics tends to include a healthy respect for the law and the law conflicts with what fosters the most unity and understanding in a situation, what then?
Even many people I know and respect leap imediately to the solution "Sue them!" whenever there is a problem. "Them" being of course whatever faceless entity is in question. They forget that even though "Them" is an entity it is made up of a whole bunch of "me and you's." If you win a million dollar lawsuit with a pharmeceutical company who didn't mention their medicine could cause dry mouth, that is a million dollars of important research that just fell squarly in the laps of non-profits and the government; it's a million dollars worth of prescription cost increases that will make a million less people able to afford their medication; it's a million dollars in insurance cost increases to protect big business from the next lawsuit; it's a million minutes of time the courts could be spending on cases that have more social benefit.
And it perpetuates a Litigius societal norm in which the only voice of reason is often forcibly silenced.
If one person could stand up and take personal responsibility and save a school full of children from having to watch their teachers and parents devolve before their very eyes it seems like an obvious choice to me. But I know I am just as self-deluded as the next person. Sometimes it is easier to be dishonest with myself than to say, "hey, I screwed up. I apologize." Hopefully the clarity will come with some time and perspective and the honesty will follow.
I apologize for the novel, Prim! I just found out that I feel rather strongly about this situation.