INNOCENCE

Friday, February 17, 2006

A new blog! Giving some others a try (thanks to Candace for the hookup on Myspace) over my one at Xanga. If anyone wants to look at my old and horrendously updated stuff it´s here:

http://www.xanga.com/genelaw9

And this is my Myspace spot:

http://www.myspace.com/genelaw9

Not much new other than my new pad in Madrid. A bit cold, and the hot water does not flow in torrents, but it has a salon (living room), a freezer for ice cream, and most importantly, only one roommate! Not that the people in the old apartment were bad folks, but having six roommates can be a wee bit straining on the nerves.

I've recently decided to try a bit of writing! Just some views on the world, my experiences, and my thoughts on what's happening. Seems everyone is catching the "Blog Bug" these days, so if you can't beat em…

I watched Munich (fantastic flick) last week and today was thinking someone's blog entry the on the topic of innocence and guilt. (Disclaimer: I'm going to pick on my fellow Yankees because I am one and know little of what motivates Mr. Doe in Uzbekistan.) We Americans love to play The Blame Game. It's so easy! Right vs. Wrong. Good vs. Evil. Me vs. The other person to blame. Why is it we literally jump like jackrabbits to place 100% guilt on perpetrators of heinous crimes? How is it that the person to blame is nearly always "Not me."? Why is it so insanely difficult to accept, however tiny, the small part we played in bringing about a tragedy or transgression?

Now, I've never been any sort of devoted existentialist (there's even doubt I know how to pronounce it!) but I've always loved Jean Paul Sartre's ideas on choice and responsibility. Did you steal that candy bar from Little Timmy Thompson in the third grade? No, of course not, it was Bubba Bartfink, the class bully. How could you possibly bear any responsibility for that? Silence and acquiescence have their own share of guilt. You could have stood up to Bubba, you could have told a teacher…both of which might have earned you humiliation or a beating with a half eaten Kit Kat. The choice of non-action is usually the most comfortable, and probably no one would give you detention for it. But are you innocent?

Sartre's famous example used the French Nazi collaborators of World War II and their plea of "It wasn't our fault!" It was his belief that their choice of non-action, even if action had meant death, made them responsible for the Nazi war crimes in France. It's an extreme case, but I think this ignored share of responsibility is a huge everyday problem in today's "Looking out for Number 1" world. Bob got fired. Not my fault. Or did I fail to let the boss know exactly how important Bob was to the company? My fear for my job prevented me, and thus, I have a share in what happened. Muslims crashed planes into New York. Not my fault. Or did my actions and/or silence (through taxes, failure to vote, failure to get involved, etc.) help foster this intense hatred of my country?

Listen, I understand how difficult it is to determine how much of a random tragedy is my fault (I personally feel that OJ was only 89.54% guilty). For me, the concepts of absolute responsibility and innocence are useful, but as tools. They're necessary devices to keep society in one piece, and to prevent axe-wielding urban Vikings from barging into my place with demands for mead and Playstations. But it can be really empowering to recognize that one of the biggest influences on world events is your acceptance of your part in them.

Next time a seemingly senseless act occurs, resist the impulse to point a finger and swing the gavel of judgment. Instead, ask yourself, "What did I do/not do to help bring this about?" Seems backwards, but it's really helped me make more sense of this "us vs. them" planet we live on.