Entry #3 - Social Distance Survey Results and Reflection

            In the last honors class we did a survey. The survey had two sides with almost the exact questions. One side asked your opinion on several questions, while the other side asked your family’s opinion on the same questions. An example is: “Would you date a Muslim?”/ “Would your family allow you to date a Muslim?” For this activity we stood in different areas of the room based on our response. One area signified that you said, “yes”, while another signified that you answered “no” to the question. This activity visually showed us the differences in opinions we have.

            One thing that I find interesting is that twenty-one people said that they would not date a Muslim, and twenty-one people said their families would not approve of them dating a Muslim. What is interesting about this is that the people in the “yes” and “no” areas switched around, so that not everyone who answered “no” for their families also answered “no” for themselves.

            Another interesting thing I noticed from the collected data and the in-class activity is that the students tended to be more “liberal” or accepting, whereas the answers concerning the parents tended to be more “conservative” or close-minded. This was interesting because it shows a large generation gap between our parents and us. In modern times, we are taught to accept everyone and that prejudice is wrong. However, the generation before us was raised on a different set of morals. The previous generation was not as accepting of cultural or racial differences.

            In my case, my answers and the answers for my parents were almost exactly the same. This didn’t seem to be the same for many of my classmates. However, I was raised to believe that God has created us all and that we should love others unconditionally.

            In summation, the in class distance survey accurately showed the data being collected in a very easy to understand way. It was interesting to see what other people believe, in addition to seeing a glimpse of what kind of home they were raised in. As far as the results go, they show that our culture has progressed to become more understanding of others. In my opinion, this is a very good thing, and I hope that we only continue to be a more loving and accepting society as time goes on.

Entry #2 - The Begging Woman

            With the situation of someone begging for money, there really is no right or wrong answer. What will the person do with the money you give them? Do they just want drugs? There is really no way of telling; however these issues should not be a deciding factor whether or not you help someone.

            In the example given in class, a woman said she needed medicine. Some people said they would ignore her, others said they would give her money, and yet others said that they would point her in the direction of help. If this situation happened to me, I would not be able to do much. As a college student, I do not have very much money, or the power to help the woman in this situation. However, I would gladly point the woman to someone who could help her better than I.

            In my life, that means that I would point her to my father. My father is the assistant pastor of our church and often deals with situations of need. In this case, my father, along with other men and women on the church’s staff would take the woman aside and speak with her. The women would be asked questions that would help the church better understand both her situation and motivation for asking for help. If the woman were looking for handout, the church would provide her with a $25 Wal-Mart gift card or a $25 gas card to help her out. If the woman’s claims had appeared to be true, the church would do its’ best to help her get the medicine she needed for her husband. Although the church would do its’ best to help the woman in whatever way they could, they most likely would not give her cash. The church tends to feel that giving cash to strangers that appear asking for handouts is not a wise decision.

            Personally, if I were able to do something in this situation, I would want to help the woman and also get to know her better. In building a relationship with this woman I would be able to better help her, and hopefully one day lead her to Christ.

            In conclusion, in the situation of a random woman showing up to church asking for money so she can get her husband money, I would not be able to help very much. The most I would be able to do is point her to someone who could help her better, and maybe create a relationship with the woman in hopes of leading her to Christ.

Week #1 - Heinz's Dilemma

     Heinz's Dilemma is the classic example of the conflict between intention and action. Briefly summed up, the short story is about a man who breaks the law for a good reason. Does his intention outweigh is action? That is the question.         

            Another intention versus action example is an older man sexually assaults a young woman; upon hearing about the incident, the girl’s father rushes to the man’s home and beats him to death. Although this example might be extreme, it is something that happens in today’s society. People take the law into their own hands for good reasons, but do their positive intentions outweigh the fact that they broke the law?

            Both situations are quite complicated, and the lines between right and wrong are indistinct. On one hand, it was wrong for the scientist to raise medicine prices or for the older man to assault the young woman. There is no defending the wrong actions behind the drug prices or the assault. However, the actions in response to the two stories are also wrong. Heinz shouldn’t have stolen the medicine, and the father shouldn’t have beaten the rapist to death. Crime (or injustice in the case of the medicine) is met with crime. But are the crimes in response to previous crimes justified? Do two wrongs make a right? No.

            Although positive intentions may be behind negative actions, that does not make the crimes any less wrong. If the law was broken, punishment is due to the lawbreaker. However, intention should be taken into account for the crime. For example, instead of being charged with second-degree murder for beating the rapist to death, the father might be charged with manslaughter.

            In conclusion, both scenarios are quite complex. But when whittled down to the core of the issue, one can see that although there was wrong done in the beginning of each story, which does not mean that it is okay to combat those wrongs with wrong. In the end, although intention affects the way an action is seen; intention will never outweigh action.