On 6/11/06, Sean Barrett <sean(a)epoptic.com> wrote:
Oh, I know what you mean. I also find that principles
can be extremely
annoying. Life is so much easier if one ignores them when they get
inconvenient.
It's not that principles should be ignored. It's that they need to be
formulated and prioritized carefully. If the British government had
stuck to the principle "never negotiate with terrorists," the
Provisional IRA would still be blowing people up, but it was decided
instead that the principle of saving lives was more important, and the
gamble paid off.
Sean, if someone points a gun at your head and asks for your wallet,
you don't think: "If I give in, they'll just move on and do this to
someone else." No, you hand over your wallet, because you value your
life.
Sarah