Spoon

Every morning our kitchen drawer that is home to our knives, forks, and spoons offers me my pick of spoons for my coffee.  About two years ago I remember running the garbage disposal with one of these spoons within its jaws.  Three seconds of clamor and panic left it forever different from the rest, its factory edge nicked and jagged.  Three seconds of being in a place never designed for a spoon has left it...changed.

Morality and Religion

I was conversing with like minded folk this week regarding the essential differences between the majority views of politics in America. My intentions were first and foremost to learn. I surmised that the fundamental difference between R & D, i.e. McCain & Obama, even conservative (yeah, yeah, I know to not identify John M. with such a moniker) and liberal was the simple issue of responsibility. Who bears responsibility for our lives? Self or Government? All the varying addresses along a wide spectrum house you and I.

By this point you can tell I've never had a formal class in political science. Wait...did I have one in college? Possibly. Regardless, those thought forms and definitions don't seem to have weathered the winds of time so well. So, I'm off to surmise and suggest amidst a conversation that scratches at the surface of these things.

Then I make the suggestion that another dimension of these essential differences was morality. "What about morality?" asked one round table's member. "The absolute quality of morality." I replied. The ensuing discussion moved us through the definitions of absolute and relative morality and the effects that all has on policy making and tolerance of differences of opinions.

The possibility that issues surrounding morality being an essential difference in American politics was gaining weight. This immediately led to the assertion that morality differences were important, valid, and permitted..."as long as they were kept distinct from religion."
Hmmmm. When in human history has that ever happened? Does anyone know of a time?
RRW