I was rather surprised today that a friend had spoke to me about a post I made on Facebook - on a road accident involving a truck driver and a motorist. The truck driver had been portrayed as a vindictive angry low-life who swerved and on purpose cut into the motorist's lane, causing her to lose control of her vehicle and crash.
It sure looked that way too, despite a friend, playing Devil's advocate, pointing out that Internet lynching isn't helpful.
Being Christian, I struggle with this.
On one hand, I might have been roundly manipulated by the Internet to think the truck driver is demon-addled and has poop for brains, to drive this way and expect to be believed as a crap driver. On the other hand I do wonder - the bible has called us to love. Even with the example of the adulteress who was caught in the act: Jesus said “let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone.”
I have made mistakes, I have been holy oh my gosh angry, and made mistakes. But I was sorry for it after. Does it mean that I did not repent? I did. I swore to myself that I will never do what I did again. But I did. Several times. Sometimes I still do it. But I'm sorry each time I did*.
Doesn't make it right, someone should stop me, but truly, sometimes nobody will stop anyone else because of the widely practiced “it ain't my business” mentality that is so rampant in Asia. Sure it has its virtues, minding one's own business, but the flip side is that we turn blind eye to things.
...bear in mind that I do not agree with taking potshots at people who get caught in the unfortunate limelight.
Death threats through the phone because of the accident? Merciless trolls.
You who do this do not have intellectual nor emotional restraint to measure your own actions. Desist.
Call the fault, have the person understand, thoroughly and without a doubt that that action under those circumstances are inconveniencing and therefore inappropriate, but give the person a chance to rectify it, do better. Adding stress by death threats is like scaring a baby into walking, when it has no idea how to yet walk.
You, society, need to prize mercy above justice. Let you who has never sinned cast the first stone. Call the fault, but understand with a capital U, the mentality behind this, if there is one.
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*One example of this is smoking. Social/closet smoker.
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