Return to my Issues and Opinions pages
Go to my home page
© Copyright 2002, Jim Loy
I once overheard an interesting opinion. In essence it was this:
We shouldn't try to solve the minor problems of the world, like building roads or curing Alzheimer's disease, because there are much bigger problems. We cannot solve the biggest problems of society (like hunger and war) because they are too difficult. And so, we should do nothing at all (except perhaps eat, drink, and be merry).
I think that is silly. Most of us live better lives because small problems were solved in the past. And we chipped away at the big problems, too.
I think the above attitude is related to the popular misconception that there are good things and bad things, and there is nothing in between. There is good and evil, money is evil, parenthood is good, my religion is good, your religion is bad, etc. Some books or plays (or movies) are good, and others are bad. Some arguments or statements are incorrect, and others are correct. And we find it difficult to admit that some things possess both good and bad qualities. Our government is seen to be good (or bad, depending on who you are). I assure you, our government is both good and bad, and everything in between. If some people say, "Money is the root of all evil," well they are right, and they are wrong.
Some people say that salt (NaCl) is bad for you. Well, certainly too much salt is bad for you, and most people do get too much salt. But, we would all die without salt. Of course, we normally get more than enough salt in our diet, without adding salt. But you can see that salt is both good and bad. It is not either/or. It is somewhere in the middle. There is a book which claims that we should do away with television. Apparently television is bad. Of course, some television is good. But, shouldn't each viewer decide (and hopefully wake up and decide intelligently), that this or that program is worth watching. If we find ourselves saying, "there is nothing good on TV," then it is time to shut off the set and do something else. The voice of reason says, "We don't throw out the baby with the bath water." Television is both good and bad. A friend of mine says that credit cards are evil. For him, maybe they are. But they are both good and bad (neutral, really); it is the traps we set for ourselves with credit cards which are bad. A steak knife can be used to kill, but we do not get rid of them because of that, for they are normally used for more benign purposes. They must be used with some care, as must credit cards.