Week 13

Religion and Education

I do want to focus on the positives about teaching basic moral principles and teaching positive humanistic behavior, because it is in everyone’s interest to behave this way. If we all tried to achieve these positive and caring values, than the world would be a much better place to live in.

Although I do not want to focus on the negative I have to say that this week especially has made me reflect more and more about ethics and morals. This Friday, the same Friday that this blog assignment was posted, I got into a car accident with a friend of mine whom I was driving to work. I was hit mid merge onto Georgia Avenue after entering the exit from the beltway and was shocked, hurt, angry, and panicky because I had to keep moving my car onto the road to avoid being hit from oncoming traffic. I instinctively looked into my rearview before quickly merging onto the road where there was a red light. I was shaking as I signaled to the nearest side road looking back to see if the car who hit me followed, but they did not. I was fooled and hurt and checked the damage as soon as I dropped my friend off to find that my brake light had been smashed and my bumper deeply cracked.

 It made me reflect on what we have been discussing in class because it was more than the damage she had done to my car that made me angry, it was the fact that she did not have the human decency to pull over and check to see if we were okay. I ended up with a sore neck and my tiny friend had to leave work do to pains as well. It hurt more than just the physical, it hurt emotionally because we felt that we weren’t worth taking a look at to see if we were alright at least. It is the principle of the matter and not the money owed. A perfect example of where people’s morals have gone.

Although trying to keep on the positive side when you teach someone morals and values you dig deep into their soul and touch their human being by sharing the principles of how we should all treat and act towards one another. My driving school instructor was a good example of this. He taught us not only how to act behind the wheel, but human compassion for other people. He was an ex police officer and had a lot of neat police officer stories he told, but the one I will never forget is when he asked us what we would do if we saw a car flipped over and no one was around the area with a victim inside. He told us not to drive away or merely call 911, thinking that they would be helped sooner or later, but to talk to the person and how to prevent people from going into shock and told us stories about how numerous people walk by someone who is dying from a gunshot wound or ignoring cries of help. These stories touched me and I spread these values and principles to my friends in hope that someday morals like these would motivate people to do more good.

Also if you have read the news recently you will surely hear about the story (and video) of how a transgendered woman was beaten numerously until she had a seizure, with little to no help from anyone working or standing by. Only one elderly woman tried to intervene. I’ll provide these links below.

Not to try and say I’m the best at helping others, but it is important to say that if you help someone and other people intervene follow your gut, and do what your heart tells you is the right thing to do. I’m saying this from experience. In downtown silver spring in front of Austin Grill, a 15yr old was vomiting after drinking too much at a party with her 20 something year old “friends.” Me and some other teenagers tried getting her a bag, water and pulled her hair back, but being the oldest and after an hour or so I felt it was best that we called an ambulance. At the time it was 9 o’clock and other adults came over to help talking about how much they did stupid things like she did and it was best if we got her home. Problem was she lived in DC and worse was that no one actually knew her. Her “friends” dipped and she was left alone. The older people told me how much it would suck if that when they were younger that an ambulance was called to get them that they would be in so much trouble and they wanted to avoid the same fate for her. They ended up driving her home, but it still bothers me to this day that I didn’t stand my ground and actually called an ambulance so that I could have gone with her to hospital and made sure she was okay. These morals are more than just giving to the homeless man you drive by on the street it is much deeper.

So if you are reading this please don’t be the person who just walks by, help your fellow man and show compassion for others in need. These basic human principles are not taught nor learned by many people and so it is very important to teach these values while people are young and in our public schools. I do not see any downside to this and if anything it motivates people to improve themselves.

http://business.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979256276 (lady who got beaten @ McDonalds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGaJrgi_SpE&feature=related