Sunday, September 9, 2007

Social Responsibility used to be taught in church

On a simian note:
Without a face people, can be utterly rude. Without identity, they can be obnoxious and bold. The coward can be courageous. People can be by nature, more boorish when driving in their cars than say on the beach or at a crowded mall. Put the he's and she's behind car-horns and tinted windows and their mothers might wilt in shame at the very notion of the asinine behaviors their offspring have grown to own. Anonymity is a vast and illusive place to hide. There are no faces on line; accountability doesn’t have to be personally owned. These are the flaws of cyberspace. Compassion comes with close experience and physical interaction. We simian beings, however, haven't done such a good job face to face so, maybe I over emphasize the issue.
Perhaps we could have an open platform of “New Rules”. Not just Bill Maher’s but, everybody’s. We would contribute to these ‘New Rules’ as ongoing Internet Principles with which to abide, argue or defy.


And there they’d be for all to see.
And they would ebb and flow
and come and go
and grow.


I have no answers other than to say: ~ Social Responsibility! Yet depending on your social circle, your ‘tribe’ so changes your version on responsibility. The average ghetto kid, I guarantee you, has a different spin on what’s responsible. The Maori has a whole other set of priorities than the Kiwi does. And the Spammer has intentions of an entire other sort. But I think, deep inside, people have an able idea of how far one can push the envelope before damage is done.

So, play nice everybody. Take care and heed at least one rule, the Golden Rule:
"Treat others only in ways that you're willing to be treated in the same exact situation." We are fast becoming a global interacting community. It will be important that we grasp this simple awareness, and, apply it soon!
This may just be the divide from our simian self that we have so long been working
towards.

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