It’s funny how what a person believes to be morally right can drive them do things that, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t. This can be just as good of thing as it can be bad, however; I suppose it just matters what side of the argument you are on. But back to morality, I find it absorbing the way an individual’s values can drive them to act in a way not generally accepted.
Recently in class, I made this realization. While watching videos on the Civil Rights Movement and reading The Secret Life of Bees I have greatly taken notice to the passion that’s fueled such historical events. In the book, Rosaleen participates in the non-violent actions—a fighting tactic done by blacks during that time period. There are countless times in the book when Rosaleen should have turned around and hit someone dead in the face because of the way they were treating her, but she didn’t. She stayed calm, strong, defiant. She had a point to make. She wanted to let the whites know that she was above them, that their beatings were insignificant to her. She knew that holding back her anger was something she simply needed to do for herself, fellow blacks, and the future of the country.
While Rosaleen stands her ground, it amazes me the way the whites continue to pursue such vicious attacks. I’m not speaking solely about The Secret Life of Bees , I’m talking about the majority of whites during this time. The way they sought to hurt—even kill—blacks because they held so strongly to the belief that blacks and whites weren’t equal. I am truly ashamed of some of our history’s recent past. Church bombings and things like the incident at Little Rock are just more examples of how what a person believes can make them behave erratically.
It’s nothing less than irony that while reading this in school, Egypt is in the midst of over throwing its government. It’s no lie that an individual’s own moral code is something they regard as being higher than law. And as a result, events like these will continue to happen as time goes on. It’s merely an inevitable factor. I don’t see what can really be done about it because when people truly believe that they are going something for the greater good, they are going to do it—no matter the costs.
2 comments:
Bre, I loved your blog! I love when you say, "It's no lie that an individual's own moral code is something they regard as being higher than the law". That's so true, almost everyone believes that what they think is always morally correct. Do you think that if the entire world believed in the exact same values, would the word be better or worse off?
You did an awesome job on your blog bre! I remember you were telling me about this in study hall! I like how you blog is different from everybody elses! You made great references to not only the book but to the worl (Egypt)! I completely agree with what your saying in your third paragraph, our country's past isn't pretty when you think about it. How would feel if our country never united like it is today, and we still based judgements off a personn's skin color?
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