Guest guest Posted November 9, 2000 Report Share Posted November 9, 2000 Some of you have been privy to the email debate which has been going back and forth amongst the yoga community and beyond, about the virtues of not voting for Nader - in favour of getting Gore elected.<br><br>This point of view has been vindicated by results in Florida.<br><br>However, shortly after these messages started circulating, I happened to see the movie<br>"Dancer in the Dark" - which depicts the tragic and "wrongful" execution of a human being in all its horror.<br><br>It was a powerful reminder that I am living in a society that actively upholds violence as the rule of law and an acceptable phenomenon in popular<br>culture.<br><br>The fact that Gore favors the death penalty seemed an acceptable character flaw in making sure that Bush did not get elected. As far as the death<br>penalty goes, it does not matter which candidate you chose.<br><br>Isn’t execution absolutely inhumane and unacceptable in our society? And against the first rule of Ashtanga Yoga or any other spiritual or humane code of practice?<br><br>What is our responsibility in political terms as, dare I say it, Spiritual Beings, if not human beings of conscience, to change popular perceptions of violence in our materialistic culture?<br><br>The polititions will not do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2000 Report Share Posted November 10, 2000 The biggest problem with the death penalty is not the act of killing but the chance that the person is wrongfully accused. You ask:<br><br><<What is our responsibility in political terms as, dare I say it, Spiritual Beings, if not human beings of conscience, to change popular perceptions of violence in our materialistic culture?>><br><br>Who are we to impose our morality on others? There is a risk of becoming self-righteous. There is a need for greater awareness and compassion, not a demand to federalize what the majority of people view as tolerable in certain states. In such a pluralistic culture, it is we who need to have the compassion to understand the motives of others who we deem less enlightened than we. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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