I apologize for being flip. I hope I did at least get
a smile.
Seriously, I think that I tend to believe, and I think
what Machiavelli was driving at, is that in a free
society we all agree to participate peacefully and not
try to usurp power and authority. The 2000 election
was a good example, in my limited judgement, because
it seems that in many places (and eras) an event like
that could have easily occasioned serious violence.
The logical leap to the case of the bum I assume is my
own. I cannot ask Machiavelli how he feels about it.
When I see a bum begging, it seems to me that he could
just as easily prey on innocent people as pray for
their goodwill. Of course, one could argue that the
penalty for crime is severe and it is better to be an
honest beggar than an inmate. I question the weight
of this argument since crime (for lack of a better
term) seems to be endemic to the human condition.
The peaceful beggar doesn't seem to benefit too
greatly from society's largesse. Through a series of
bad decisions, a few strokes of bad luck, or an
inability to obtain adequate mental health care, inter
alia, he has become homeless and remedy has not been
obtained--since he remains homeless. Yet he still
participates in civic society. Were I in his place,
I'm not so sure I'd be so civil.
This does not make the bum superior to me. I could
easily view him as a non-productive blight offensive
to the eye and (yuck!) nose, and seek to have him
banished through my influence with the polity or by
threats and harassment. But I don't. Hence, I
consider the debt to be reciprocal.
Does that make sense? It's one of those things that
is difficult for me to put into words. To put another
way, every civil member of a free and civic society
owes a debt to every other civil member seems to me
to be a guideline far superior to the Golden Rule.
-jsh
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In a message dated 12/3/02 2:51:56 AM,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
'As Machiavelli pointed out, no one is willing to
admit the debt that they incure to those who choose
option #1.
-jsh'
What debt is that?
Exactly.
No, seriously, how do I benefit others by begging?
Do I give them a needed
sense of superiority? Or do I serve as an excuse
for government to steal
your money and give it to bureaucrats in the name of
helping me?
__
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
