I have written " emotions are great motivators but seldom great decision makers " and I believe in the truth of that statement. To me it is simple logic. I can't let emotion run my life and certainly emotion shouldn't run the country. Isn't that the same premise as the character Spock in Star Trek ? It's only logical. Logic is devoid of emotion right ? I would say that is not always the case, emotions are to be considered in the decision making process. On the other hand practicality and necessity are equal partners. Life isn't always fair. Equity is achieved through the rule of law. It is this rule of law that forms a nation and its' ideals. We formed a constitutional republic 230 years ago with the idea " all men are created equal. " That equality was to be recognized by a representative government of the people. And what was the basis for revolution ? Well the real motivator in all of that was commerce. It was the loss of revenue that inspired the emotional response of the people. At least the wealthier folks created that " patriotic fervor " in the populace that inspired a revolution. It was one of the better spin jobs in history ! The wealthy merchants, plantation owners and the like benefitting immensely. A successful revolution would ensure their continued profits. It has been suggested that they risked it all, their very lives in the cause of freedom. Well that is a noble sentiment but the truth is they risked it all for the sake of profits. Had the " crown " decided to negotiate a fair trade agreement I doubt any revolution would have taken place. It was the emotional response of the common man that made the revolution possible, backed by the money and resources of the wealthy.
I can see the same tactic being used today, this emotional response. It is being employed to motivate changes in the rule of law. That in itself is not surprising as it has always been that way. When people are complacent about things little gets done. When the population is content with the status quo, there are no cries for change. Those are obvious statements of fact. Emotion is shouting down all logic ! Yes there are times when the status quo is actually a good thing. Just because something is different doesn't make it better. It is equally true that there will always be those that feel the status quo is unfavorable to them. But all we have is the rule of law to base our judgements upon. That is why Lady Justice is blindfolded. She represents the moral force in our judicial system, one of equality under the rule of law. She holds the scales of justice along with a sword ! When it is impossible to justify an action because it is clearly illegal the only means left is emotion. That is what we are facing right now. We have people living in our country illegally. Everyone knows that are illegals, it is openly admitted. So what can we do ? We can elicit an emotional response to create a revolution of sorts. We will openly defy the rule of law. Those that stand to gain from this are the ones creating this emotional response. But, you say, who is to gain ? That is where the waters get muddied. The bottom line though is there is always someone that will profit from this. The true motivator is not " caring for our fellow man " but profits. I suffer from no delusion to the contrary. A matter of practicality. Same as the American revolution. What was the promise ? Profitability and opportunity. Then we had a civil war and what was that all about ? Again the bottom line was commerce. Emotions ran high in that one didn't it ? Brother against brother in a battle for what ? It was the wealthy plantation owners that created that emotional response, that " patriotic fervor " among the Rebels, a sentiment still felt to this day. It is a strictly emotional response and continues to motivate.
What I'm trying to say here is a simple thing really. We shouldn't be using our emotions to decide the rule of law. We can certainly change the law if we feel a necessity to do so, provisions have been made for that. This is a nation of laws. The founding fathers intentionally separated church ( moral issues ) from state ( the rule of law ). Our decisions need to be based on the rule of law not on emotions. Emotions are used to argue a case but shouldn't be used to decide one. Only after all have been heard can a decision be made. If the law needs to be changed, change it. Until such time as the law is changed it must be enforced. Yes there are instances were it does hurt us emotionally to obey the rule of law. It is no different than raising your children. There are times when you just have to enforce the " law " regardless of any emotional pleas to the contrary. What is the result of a too permissive parent ? A spoiled child, immature and entitled is the result. Seems to me we have a lot of those folks around today, overly permissive. And why are they overly permissive ? It is far easier to just allow behaviors than correct them. No doubt you will be far more popular if you just allow everyone to do as they please. Wouldn't we all just like to do whatever we pleased ? Couldn't we all make an emotional plea demonstrating why that should be so ? I can use my emotions to justify everything ! I needed to feed my family, so I robbed the bank. Oh, well in that case you won't be prosecuted. I was hungry so I stole groceries from the store. Case dismissed. I was homeless so I decided to occupy your vacation house. Oh, okay that is fine. Yes I broke the law but I only broke one of them so that shouldn't count. Or I broke the law once but haven't done it again so that shouldn't count against me. But geez, punishing me for breaking the law is going to hurt someone else so I shouldn't be punished. Oh, you're right of course, never mind. Or the ever popular, I didn't have a choice. Well in that case who could blame you. Everyone else was doing it ! Okay that changes everything. See how silly all that sounds ? And yet I hear otherwise intelligent people saying all of that and more. Emotions are great motivators but seldom great decision makers. You know when you think about it, it is your own permissiveness that often hurts you the worst. When you allow others to control your emotions, that is when you get hurt.
I can see the same tactic being used today, this emotional response. It is being employed to motivate changes in the rule of law. That in itself is not surprising as it has always been that way. When people are complacent about things little gets done. When the population is content with the status quo, there are no cries for change. Those are obvious statements of fact. Emotion is shouting down all logic ! Yes there are times when the status quo is actually a good thing. Just because something is different doesn't make it better. It is equally true that there will always be those that feel the status quo is unfavorable to them. But all we have is the rule of law to base our judgements upon. That is why Lady Justice is blindfolded. She represents the moral force in our judicial system, one of equality under the rule of law. She holds the scales of justice along with a sword ! When it is impossible to justify an action because it is clearly illegal the only means left is emotion. That is what we are facing right now. We have people living in our country illegally. Everyone knows that are illegals, it is openly admitted. So what can we do ? We can elicit an emotional response to create a revolution of sorts. We will openly defy the rule of law. Those that stand to gain from this are the ones creating this emotional response. But, you say, who is to gain ? That is where the waters get muddied. The bottom line though is there is always someone that will profit from this. The true motivator is not " caring for our fellow man " but profits. I suffer from no delusion to the contrary. A matter of practicality. Same as the American revolution. What was the promise ? Profitability and opportunity. Then we had a civil war and what was that all about ? Again the bottom line was commerce. Emotions ran high in that one didn't it ? Brother against brother in a battle for what ? It was the wealthy plantation owners that created that emotional response, that " patriotic fervor " among the Rebels, a sentiment still felt to this day. It is a strictly emotional response and continues to motivate.
What I'm trying to say here is a simple thing really. We shouldn't be using our emotions to decide the rule of law. We can certainly change the law if we feel a necessity to do so, provisions have been made for that. This is a nation of laws. The founding fathers intentionally separated church ( moral issues ) from state ( the rule of law ). Our decisions need to be based on the rule of law not on emotions. Emotions are used to argue a case but shouldn't be used to decide one. Only after all have been heard can a decision be made. If the law needs to be changed, change it. Until such time as the law is changed it must be enforced. Yes there are instances were it does hurt us emotionally to obey the rule of law. It is no different than raising your children. There are times when you just have to enforce the " law " regardless of any emotional pleas to the contrary. What is the result of a too permissive parent ? A spoiled child, immature and entitled is the result. Seems to me we have a lot of those folks around today, overly permissive. And why are they overly permissive ? It is far easier to just allow behaviors than correct them. No doubt you will be far more popular if you just allow everyone to do as they please. Wouldn't we all just like to do whatever we pleased ? Couldn't we all make an emotional plea demonstrating why that should be so ? I can use my emotions to justify everything ! I needed to feed my family, so I robbed the bank. Oh, well in that case you won't be prosecuted. I was hungry so I stole groceries from the store. Case dismissed. I was homeless so I decided to occupy your vacation house. Oh, okay that is fine. Yes I broke the law but I only broke one of them so that shouldn't count. Or I broke the law once but haven't done it again so that shouldn't count against me. But geez, punishing me for breaking the law is going to hurt someone else so I shouldn't be punished. Oh, you're right of course, never mind. Or the ever popular, I didn't have a choice. Well in that case who could blame you. Everyone else was doing it ! Okay that changes everything. See how silly all that sounds ? And yet I hear otherwise intelligent people saying all of that and more. Emotions are great motivators but seldom great decision makers. You know when you think about it, it is your own permissiveness that often hurts you the worst. When you allow others to control your emotions, that is when you get hurt.
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