Chance, fate, the gods, or the God of one’s understanding
I recently read of a man who is being tried for manslaughter because some people were killed when he ran a red light. He may also have been speeding. Not that long ago I also ran a red light. Although I was not speeding and I was not distracting myself by looking at my phone, tuning the radio, attempting to pick up something I had dropped or doing anything else other than attending to driving I somehow misread the light or was unaware of looking at something else other than the light. I have no idea what happened. My carelessness was responsible for someone hitting me; a crash which could easily have resulted in the death of myself, the driver of the other car or his passenger. The person I read about and the persons who were in the car which hit his car were not so lucky. People died and the person who ran the red light could now potentially spend time in jail, lose a professional license and live with all the consequences of his carelessness. Except for possibly speeding he is no different than I. Is this pure chance, luck, fate, the action of the gods or the God of one’s understanding? I strongly suspect it is luck or chance. One morning this week I was stopped at a red light and a car sped right through the light. No car was coming from the green light direction and, thus, there was no harm. Another day I was stopped at another red light and a car ran through it only to discover a police car behind him or her. The driver no doubt got a ticket but there were no injuries or deaths because no other car was going through the green light. Four cases and three different outcomes
Obviously, I am not the first person to notice or remark on this phenomenon or to remark on the fact that so much of our so-called justice system assigns blame based on the outcome and not whether a person is more or less a risk of causing injury or more or less a “bad” person. There are different levels of homicides recognized by the so-called justice system: murder, manslaughter, justifiable homicide, assassination, killing in war (following laws of war or a war crime), euthanasia and capital punishment. A great many factors, including the laws in a state, region or country, will affect how a homicide is treated. Where or not a person is charged and convicted of a crime will also depend on how the event is labeled, the beliefs and histories of the jurors, the judge and the attorneys involved. Although not always the case. money can determine the number and skill of the defense legal team. Local politics, skill, and other factors can affect the number of and action of the prosecution team. Personal history, including the history on a particular day, can affect the mood and the action of the judge.
Adults having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone underage (age of consent variable depending on state or country) may or may not be charged with a crime. Many parents I know have chosen not to press charges. Some have. What role does luck or chance play in how parents respond?
Laws change over time. Laws for use and possession of alcohol and marijuana have changed over time. Laws regarding inter-racial marriages have changed. Abortion laws are currently undergoing major changes in the United States. What role does chance, fate, religious beliefs, and/pr politics play in when and what laws are changed?
Many who believe that the God or gods of their understanding directly intervenes in the life of individuals, would claim:
· There is a purpose to every event.
· God never gives you more than you can handle
· One always gets what one needs to grow spiritually.
· The God of one’s understanding will punish one even if the judicial system does not.
· The god of one’s understanding accepts that one is human and makes mistakes; sometimes mistakes with grave and/or tragic results.
Many believe punishment will reduce or stop careless or irresponsible behavior.
How could the recognition and acknowledgment of the role of fate, chance or luck change the system of justice in the United States and or other countries? How could the recognition and acknowledgement of the role of fate, chance or luck affect the inquiry into ethical and moral behavior?
If, in fact, the role of luck, fate or chance were taken into account, how would that change the process of grief for the family whose loved one was injured or killed because of the combination of carelessness, fate and chance?
Perhaps it is time to let go of whatever brief solace some of us humans get from the current belief that justice is achieved by ignoring the role of fate or chance; from the illusion that our current system of justice is just, cost effective and ensures a safer community.
Written May 1, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
I recently read of a man who is being tried for manslaughter because some people were killed when he ran a red light. He may also have been speeding. Not that long ago I also ran a red light. Although I was not speeding and I was not distracting myself by looking at my phone, tuning the radio, attempting to pick up something I had dropped or doing anything else other than attending to driving I somehow misread the light or was unaware of looking at something else other than the light. I have no idea what happened. My carelessness was responsible for someone hitting me; a crash which could easily have resulted in the death of myself, the driver of the other car or his passenger. The person I read about and the persons who were in the car which hit his car were not so lucky. People died and the person who ran the red light could now potentially spend time in jail, lose a professional license and live with all the consequences of his carelessness. Except for possibly speeding he is no different than I. Is this pure chance, luck, fate, the action of the gods or the God of one’s understanding? I strongly suspect it is luck or chance. One morning this week I was stopped at a red light and a car sped right through the light. No car was coming from the green light direction and, thus, there was no harm. Another day I was stopped at another red light and a car ran through it only to discover a police car behind him or her. The driver no doubt got a ticket but there were no injuries or deaths because no other car was going through the green light. Four cases and three different outcomes
Obviously, I am not the first person to notice or remark on this phenomenon or to remark on the fact that so much of our so-called justice system assigns blame based on the outcome and not whether a person is more or less a risk of causing injury or more or less a “bad” person. There are different levels of homicides recognized by the so-called justice system: murder, manslaughter, justifiable homicide, assassination, killing in war (following laws of war or a war crime), euthanasia and capital punishment. A great many factors, including the laws in a state, region or country, will affect how a homicide is treated. Where or not a person is charged and convicted of a crime will also depend on how the event is labeled, the beliefs and histories of the jurors, the judge and the attorneys involved. Although not always the case. money can determine the number and skill of the defense legal team. Local politics, skill, and other factors can affect the number of and action of the prosecution team. Personal history, including the history on a particular day, can affect the mood and the action of the judge.
Adults having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone underage (age of consent variable depending on state or country) may or may not be charged with a crime. Many parents I know have chosen not to press charges. Some have. What role does luck or chance play in how parents respond?
Laws change over time. Laws for use and possession of alcohol and marijuana have changed over time. Laws regarding inter-racial marriages have changed. Abortion laws are currently undergoing major changes in the United States. What role does chance, fate, religious beliefs, and/pr politics play in when and what laws are changed?
Many who believe that the God or gods of their understanding directly intervenes in the life of individuals, would claim:
· There is a purpose to every event.
· God never gives you more than you can handle
· One always gets what one needs to grow spiritually.
· The God of one’s understanding will punish one even if the judicial system does not.
· The god of one’s understanding accepts that one is human and makes mistakes; sometimes mistakes with grave and/or tragic results.
Many believe punishment will reduce or stop careless or irresponsible behavior.
How could the recognition and acknowledgment of the role of fate, chance or luck change the system of justice in the United States and or other countries? How could the recognition and acknowledgement of the role of fate, chance or luck affect the inquiry into ethical and moral behavior?
If, in fact, the role of luck, fate or chance were taken into account, how would that change the process of grief for the family whose loved one was injured or killed because of the combination of carelessness, fate and chance?
Perhaps it is time to let go of whatever brief solace some of us humans get from the current belief that justice is achieved by ignoring the role of fate or chance; from the illusion that our current system of justice is just, cost effective and ensures a safer community.
Written May 1, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
RSS Feed