Night Journals
Journal 1 Due to the extraordinary circumstances that come with forced imprisonment, I believe that all morals and incentives for human decency in a desperate situation will be extremely diminished, if not fully suppressed. Consequently, desirable character traits in a more social world (altruism, empathy, compassion) are no longer idolized as the hallmarks of an ideal individual: Instead, antisocial traits such as cunning, ruthlessness and apathy will provide more of an advantage to a man or woman who must fight for their survival. If I were placed in this situation, I would find it difficult, if not impossible, to adapt to the latter traits, simply because of the society I have lived in and grown accustomed to. I would look …show more content…
Often, intervention also leads to unnecessary implication, a concept that is enough to deter many day-to-day good samaritans. Additionally, the idea that drives many altruists (moral correctness, religion, etc.) cannot be expected to be widespread, as the majority of the people in the world wish to be left to their own devices. Therefore, only a few parties can be directly responsible for stopping a civil right violation: The victims, their government, and the civil functions regulating and addressing these concerns (without accounting for the presence of corruption in the system). However, society’s seeming indifference to issues affecting a specific group also does nothing to stop individuals who do decide to speak out against this indifference, and often to great effect: Change happens from the bottom up, and society’s ills should be addressed as such. In every society, there are people who will risk their lives for what they believe is the right thing, whether this idea is commonly accepted or not (i.e sheltering Jews in Nazi Germany), and this admirable concept should never be looked down
Journal 1 Due to the extraordinary circumstances that come with forced imprisonment, I believe that all morals and incentives for human decency in a desperate situation will be extremely diminished, if not fully suppressed. Consequently, desirable character traits in a more social world (altruism, empathy, compassion) are no longer idolized as the hallmarks of an ideal individual: Instead, antisocial traits such as cunning, ruthlessness and apathy will provide more of an advantage to a man or woman who must fight for their survival. If I were placed in this situation, I would find it difficult, if not impossible, to adapt to the latter traits, simply because of the society I have lived in and grown accustomed to. I would look …show more content…
Often, intervention also leads to unnecessary implication, a concept that is enough to deter many day-to-day good samaritans. Additionally, the idea that drives many altruists (moral correctness, religion, etc.) cannot be expected to be widespread, as the majority of the people in the world wish to be left to their own devices. Therefore, only a few parties can be directly responsible for stopping a civil right violation: The victims, their government, and the civil functions regulating and addressing these concerns (without accounting for the presence of corruption in the system). However, society’s seeming indifference to issues affecting a specific group also does nothing to stop individuals who do decide to speak out against this indifference, and often to great effect: Change happens from the bottom up, and society’s ills should be addressed as such. In every society, there are people who will risk their lives for what they believe is the right thing, whether this idea is commonly accepted or not (i.e sheltering Jews in Nazi Germany), and this admirable concept should never be looked down