Good People

So you think you're a good person. What do you think a good person is like? Everyone has different criteria for it but there's one thing that is common to all good people. I believe good people don't wish death upon someone else. Did any of you see Saddam Hussein's hanging footage on TV? How disgusting and how very low was that? No man deserves that! No man. I'm sure even death-penalty supporters would have frozen in fear and shock when they saw the footage. How many of you still support this kind of barbaric acts? You may say he deserves it . And so it's revenge is it? I don't care what he did before but who are we to take his life? Besides did it prove/solve anything at all other than fuelling further violence? Along with his death, so many others died as a result of sectarian riots. By killing someone, does it bring peace? If it does, just tell me how? If it does bring peace then we should have seen some miracle peace in Iraq rather than those additional violent deaths the day after!!

How can you be happy about someone else's death no matter how bad that person was? Death is so final and it doesn't bring any solutions with it. Just why don't people realise that from violence we can't resolve violence? Is this concept very difficult to understand? Does organised butchery in the name of Law/God/Society stand for justice? HOW? I believe Saddam's execution was not justice. It was pure vengeance. And that's all Death Penalty ever serves, be it Saddam or any other criminal. For if it brought justice, why do we have more and more crime and violence on the rise. Why is this world on the brink of being swamped by terrorism and war? Cos people are not afraid to die anymore. Cos we the 'good' people are promoting death! Cos we the 'good' people are teaching our youngsters that if someone hurt you, that it's ok to go and hang them...that it's ok to KILL. Violence is being justified by us, so what can we expect from the average man? So people, the death penalty never worked, isn't working and won't work. No one will ever get any justice/closure from it. It only worsens the pain cos it's only a form of vengeance not justice, and vengeance only digs the wound. The criminal dies with his convictions not having learnt anything at all. The victims' families will suffer for life anyways. We the foolish killers think we are better than the criminals, when we have gone and committed the same crime! So we think we are doing the right thing as a bunch of 'good' people? Don't wish death upon someone else and claim yourself to be a good person, cos you are not. If you were happy at seeing/hearing of someone's death, then it's equivalent to having blood in your hands. Good people can't/won't find a reason to justify violence.

Here are few Buddhist quotes about violence:

~~Through violence, you may 'solve' one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

~~Violence can only be justified if you are unenlightened

~~They are not following dharma who resort to violence to achieve their purpose. But those who lead others through nonviolent means, knowing right and wrong, may be called guardians of the dharma.

And that last quote is my definition of 'good' people. So don't be a commoner who rejoices in the suffering of another. Be a better human being and set an example to those lost people. Be a shining light instead of one of the millions of unlit lamps.

Current Music: It's A Mistake by Men At Work