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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: Ken Armstrong <armstron AT ohiou.edu>
  • To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] "...problem is not moral relativism, shopping malls..."
  • Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 21:46:55 -0500



--On Thursday, March 06, 2003 6:24 PM -0500 Tpmonaghan AT aol.com wrote:
Let's show a little genuine charity to the shoppers. I realize shoppers
are not postmodern, deconstructionists and not driven to a murderous rage
by the Andalusian catastrophe and therefore not proper subjects for our
compassion, but such charity should be easy enough out of laziness, if
not virtue.

So who was shortchanging the shoppers? It was shopping as salvation that was being scrutinized. Let us, whether or not out of laziness or sloppy thinking, not confuse the issue.

Ken Armstrong
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Subject: [percy-l] can we truly understand the motivation of another
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Can we truly understand the motivation of another?

No, probably not.

But we can perceive their action and we can respond to that. We may respond wrongly, but we can see the act. When Genghis Khan is attacking us or getting ready to, we are not bound to just dither. Sorry about Genghis not having any toys when he was growing up, but if I sit back and allow him to vent his muderous rage, am I not actively at that point doing the murdering. Don't i owe it to him to fight, to try to stop him. I am more than willing to suggest we go shopping, but what if he just doesn't want to shop?

Individual sentiments, particularly uninformed ones, may be dangerous, but we do have judgement, intellect and that we are duty bound to use. We can use that gift. Indeed, we are held responsible for using it. Strapping a bomb on yourself, getting on a school bus, proceeding to the center, and blowing yourself up with all the kids is wrong. People who pay for that kind of thing are off. Auschwitz is wrong at all times and period. The disagreements among us all are not just among God fearing folks, but with God hating folks, and God rebelling folks, and God fearing folks, and all fallen folks. With fear and trembling we proceed.

I hope we all make it individually and corporately. Guess I should add redundantly to that last sentence. Anyway, peace.




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