Taking responsibility

I don't know the origins of this, although I did at one time, no doubt it has slipped my mind.

What I'm going to talk about is the concept of just and unjust laws and, more importantly, taking consequences for your actions.

As an Australian, I am obliged to follow the laws of Australia. I am also obliged to follow the laws of whichever country I might be travelling through, but that is not so important for this post.

If, as an Australian, I believe that a law is unjust, than I have two main choices. I can either obey the law and whinge and complain about it. This is not a moral choice, as it does nothing to improve the strength of our community or make things better.

Alternatively, I can disobey the unjust law, but, most importantly, I need to accept the consequences for my actions. I am breaking the law, which I believe to be unjust, and will receive the unjust punishment to show that I am a law abiding citizen.

This is basically the same as the principles espoused by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, evoking change through civil disobedience.

Now this doesn't really work in an environment where violence and murder are routinely used as parts of the political process. How has it worked so far for the Falun Gong in China or for the opposition in Zimbabwe? But as a way to achieve change it certainly is effective, as long as the laws that are being protested are sufficiently unpopular.

Currently in Tasmania we have protestors trying to stop the construction of a new road in the Upper Florentine valley, with many police out there trying to get them out of the way to enable the loggers and the road builders through. There's been a great deal of vitriol expended in the media and other places about these greenies and their attempts to "destroy working people's livelihoods".

I see it like this. As long as those protestors take their punishment than I have no problem with them continuing to act to try and prevent something that they believe is wrong. If they get sent to gaol than when they get out they should go straight back to the protest and continue to put themselves on the line.

If they're arrested and than bleat about the unfairness of it than I am not going to be sympathetic. They know that they're breaking the law. If they don't get involved and bleat about Forestry and the police than I don't care much either, they don't have the courage of their convictions.

But I can respect someone who cares enough about a situation to risk arrest and imprisonment to try and effect change, no matter what it is they're trying to achieve.

Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't mean you can't respect them.

cheers

Harry