I know that many people who look at political matters and solving social problems as areas that they enjoy exploring in depth! Quite often people such as myself like to TRY to seem wise- often - LOL- just in our own sight- and offer answers that they propose will solve the problems usually with ideas that are tied to our political opinions and perspective. Quite often people such as myself are CLEARLY guilty of attacking and belittling people who disagree with us while praising and lauding those who we feel intellectually and politically chummy with.
Intelligent and reasonable people will readily grant that some issues that we wrestle with are truly "Gordian Knots"- intractable, complex and multifaceted issues that are only likely to be solved by the application of innovative, daring and creative solutions.
Earlier today, I heard, in passing while station-surfing, a brief news item about a man who was on trial for a pair of brutal and sadistic murders. The man being prosecuted for these murders had recently just been released from prison having recently served time for some violent assaults. He told the prison officials that he was quite comfortable living in the criminal system and just did not think he'd do well at all on the outside. He actually requested to not be released! He warned that it was VERY LIKELY that he would commit more acts such as placed him in jail previously or worse!
Yet, The man had served his time FULLY. He had to be released, there was no legal. moral or ethical reason to confine him further. Yet, One might argue that given all that he said before his release, There was a virtual 100% change that he would engage in further acts of carnage , given enough time, on members of the general public. Therefore,Could his release, if this man indeed committed the murders he is being tried for - Is it fair to state that his release guaranteed that his victims would be murdered? This is an example of a Gordian Knot!
This reminds me of a heart -wrenching.that occurred years ago in a Michigan Elementary School. Two First Graders were on a playground.A boy asked a girl to play with him. She curtly said "No" and ran away from him.. This really angered him. He went home to the Crackhouse that he resided in along with his mother and her boy friend. He took a pistol he knew was loaded and packed it to take to school with him.
The next day as this boy and girl's class got ready for lunch, getting their lunches and getting ready to be taken to the cafeteria, The boy told the girl, " I don't like you!" Her short response was "So". He opened his lunch box, grabbed the gun and fired it, The bullet stuck the girl and she died instantly. One child dead- another child was murdered. The child was not prosecuted- he asked a short time later if his classmate was going to get up. He had truly no idea as to what he had done.
You could prosecute and /or her boyfriend. You can berate the school. You'd be obnoxious to say this . but you could offer the comment that " If the girl had just treated that boy more kindly..." but what can you do, truly and effectively to deal with the death of one six year old child and the possibly irreparable damage done, clearly self-inflicted, done to the life of another child.
In the case of the First man that I referred to, I suppose you could figure out a place to keep criminals who want to stay in custody for their good and the good of others. However, Where would this be? How would it be funded and how do you deal with the issue of aiding and abetting of a man who is saying, " I do not want to be free so I am renouncing it!" ? I will admit that I do not know how to begin to address these issues.
These are a few of the issues that I see as Gordian Knots. I have no answers to them that I'd be comfortable in either advocating or comfortably living with!!!! Do you?
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