Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Ward zealous but wrong

To the editor,

John Ward raised some interesting ethical and religious questions with his article, "It's All About Me." I admire his zeal at opposing our human vices wherever they may be found: arrogance, hatred, jealousy, unfaithfulness, avarice and so on. I agree that unfortunately, we are often more morally lazy than we ought to be. However, I think Ward's piece did nothing to rectify this situation. It is so easy to criticize immorality from the heights of an op-ed piece, but does it really change anyone's mind about anything? Rather, nothing will ever be accomplished by wringing our hands and lamenting how immoral our neighbors, our friends and our family have all become. There is no substitute for personal involvement. If we each want to make a difference in our society, we must start with the people we know; we must be actively involved in the lives of others, reaching out to those in hard times, with a spirit of caring and humility.

As an atheist, I cannot agree with Ward's conclusion that hedonism is the only alternative to theism. I may not believe in life after death, but I am a firm believer in life before death and I wish to make that life the best that it can be. But hedonism is an awfully myopic moral system, sacrificing long-term happiness for short-term gratification. Ward realizes this as he writes, "this philosophy...leads to a world that is chaotic, dangerous and unscrupulous." I agree. Actions have consequences, and it doesn't take belief in God to realize that such things as infidelity are wrong because it has a negative impact on those whom it affects. If it were otherwise, how could we then consider it wrong? The problem is not atheism, but moral laziness.

I also disagree with Ward's comment that society in previous generations was "safe, orderly, and scrupulous." Much as the author of Ecclesiastes 7:10 once pointed out: "Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?', for it is not from wisdom that you ask this." We see the past only through rose-tinted glasses; in truth we have not become increasingly immoral, but only immoral in different ways.

Chris Ashton

Computer engineering senior