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But there are still some people in the world that think communism is a good thing. I disagree with them. But they are entitled to their opinion.
Wary, is there any valid reason why communism isn't for you? Has the "wrongness" of communism been found by the use of your brain? ...or is it simply subjective, unjustified 'opinion,' such as liking the movie Amadeus or hating the colour yellow? If it is the latter, where do your opinions come from and why do you bother holding them?
This is where we can turn back to the black and white concept...
When a person talks about "black and white," he is talking about "right and wrong." To deny blacks and whites exist leaves you with two options. Either there is no right and wrong or black and white and the entire concept even of morality is bunk (the direction scholarly "ethical theory" is currently headed, in fact), or all things that we might deem to be right or wrong can actually be rated on a scale among various shades of grey. You might rank communism a bit blacker and another might rank it a bit whiter. So what?
Without a concept of right and wrong, you could not pass judgements on anything, anyone, any form of government. Because grey is a mixture of black and white, without black and white you lose all grey as well. Your dislike of communism is completely unjustified, as is your dislike of preists that molest little boys. And hey, I [i:52755b81e8]like[/i:52755b81e8] preists that molest little boys, and my opinion is equally valid, so screw your opinion!
How do we find our way out of this quagmire? [i:52755b81e8]Principles[/i:52755b81e8]. They need to be consciously identified and acted upon. (honestly, I think most people do not do this--as possibly re-evidenced by socrates' statements, on many peoples' choices of political parties). Yours tell you (quite rightly, 'imho') that the molestation of little boys is foul and disgusting. Many would not identify these principles [i:52755b81e8]as[/i:52755b81e8] principles, and therefore not question them. [i:52755b81e8]Why[/i:52755b81e8] is the molestation of little boys wrong? There are hundreds of reasons, I know, but in the end it just [i:52755b81e8]is[/i:52755b81e8]--a known, unquestioned truth. It is failure to identify [i:52755b81e8]justified[/i:52755b81e8] principles (while certainly not the sole cause, or a universal one) that leaves a person searching for certainty and finding it in an organization like Landmark.
You and I agree in our dislike of communism. My principles hold that an individual's life and body belongs to himself. Labor is an extension of the body, a conscious, creative act, done to support the laborer's own life. Just as I have no right to take your life, I have no right to take your labor or the products of it either. Communists have principles as well, but once princples are fully established and fully undertood, then one understands what it is to have certainty, to think in black and white (which, btw, can not involve shutting out the opposing argument. Certainty requires that you constantly are evaluating your own system of principles for holes, flaws, contradictions, etc. Justified opposing arguments are often best for this.) Once principles are established between both parties, [i:52755b81e8]that[/i:52755b81e8] is when a constructive conversation can take place, and the real 'blacks' and 'whites' can emerge.
Tommorrow, I think I shall torture all by posting an 18-chapter book. :twisted: