Everyone Has A List

It seems to me that the way the world around me now operates is by the dictum "I believe that _____ is wrong and should be against the law and that the powers that be must enforce that law." Pretty simple on the face of it. The problems start to crop up when people compile their lists and fill in that blank. Some things are virtually uniformly agreed upon, murder, robbery, arson, rape. Other things seem to appear on lots of lists, but not all, prostitution, smoking marijuana, sex with animals, downloading copyrighted materials off the internet. Others items have an asterisk beside them on some lists indicating that they are ok if the powers that be run them, gambling is one that pops to mind.

But there are some real differences between lists that have folks scratching their heads trying to reconcile them. One list will have abortion on it and another will have interfering with a woman's right to choose what happens to her body. Or one list will have possession of a firearm and another will have interfering with an individuals second amendment right. Some lists have prayer in schools while others site interfering with freedom of expression. It gets real contentious very quickly.

I think that maybe the solution lies not in reconciling the lists but by adding a second dictum. We need one like, "I believe that _________ is wrong therefore I choose not to do it." Use the first one for the universally agreed upon items, or at least items where over 90% of the lists agree. Then use the second one for other list items. Now that would simplify thinks greatly. Who knows, if we add and start using this second dictum for contentious list items, we might actually be able to satisfy Rodney King and all learn to just get along.