Life and Death

Cowards or morons? I'm not sure which it is. It could be both. Are those words extreme? Well, let's discuss this. I guess it's been on my mind since Tookie is going to die.

First, are people afraid of death for logical reasons? Death is part of the cycle of life, so it's something that is expected. Many people have theories about death. Some say you are just done and return to dirt. Some believe you are reincarnated according to how you lived. Some believe in a Heaven/Hell afterlife. Some believe you will travel on a passing comet. So with all of these philosophies and ideas beyond what I have listed, why does anyone fear death? If you believe you just return to dust, then you really don't have anything to live for anyway and you should have no fear of death since living doesn't matter when you expire. If you believe in reincarnation, then you believe in living eternally and constantly coming back as some sort of life form, so what is there to fear about death? You could come back in another life and do it all again and maybe differently. If you believe in a reward/punishment afterlife, then you do have something to live for and probably a bit of fear of death depending on how you are living according to what you believe. If you are living as you believe, though, how can you fear death if you are getting a reward that is greater than what you are experiencing in this life? As for believing you will travel with some sort of comet, I guess the fear would be in crashing into something else, but then what happens to you? I'm stumped there. In other words, no matter your belief about death, why is there fear among so many people about dying? Are you afraid you're going to miss out on something or are you scared you aren't living up to what you believe in? Or are you simply a coward who is scared of the unknown?

Second, we have a death penalty debate that has been ongoing for years. The death penalty has been around since our first written laws according to any history book you read. (Read history books. They are very educational and can be found at any library. I used to work in one so I know this. :) ) Simply put, the death penalty is a punishment for an atrocious crime. It usually involves the murder of an innocent person. That makes the killer a guilty person. A civilized society has to make decisions like this when making laws. Some people claim that the death penalty isn't civilized, but they are missing the point. The point of a death penalty is punishment. When you do something that society has deemed bad, there is a punishment to it. The punishment has to somehow fit the crime committed. If you kill someone, expect to be put to death. Some try to claim this is a deterrent to others and in some ways it is, but that is still missing the point. Some people claim that we need to rehabilitate these types of criminals so that they can become productive in society. Realistically, this is a dangerous and expensive concept. Dangerous meaning that depending on the rehab process or the time involved, it can give someone another opportunity to commit the same crime. Expensive in the sense that there is a lot of cost in asking tax payers to pay for these types of criminals for the rest of their lives. (There are some who argue the cost of the death penalty, but that is another discussion. Yes, it should be done quicker and cheaper. Nobody will disagree with making things cheaper.) If a person is put to death, they obviously can't commit any more crimes against humanity.

So believing what you believe about death, why would anyone be afraid to make the judgment of death in the case of a murderer convicted by a jury of their peers? Would they be afraid that making this decision affects their belief system in the afterlife? Are they afraid of someone taking retribution on them for making this decision? Do they believe that all life is sacred, even that of a convicted murderer? Do they believe there is a more permanent punishment than death? Are they cruel and would rather a convicted murderer be in a cage for the rest of their life just to stew forever on the crime they committed? Are they cruel to the families of the victims so the family can worry if this criminal will ever get out or get their friends to take retribution on the families? What is this argument for not putting a convicted murderer to death as punishment for their crimes? What are they afraid of?

Or are the opponents just stupid? Do they not know how to logically go through this thought process to determine a non-conflicting opinion on this subject? For people who believe in God, are they unknowing or unwilling to accept that God introduced the death penalty? Are these people not very well read in the history of mankind? Are they just taking the side of criminals instead of the innocent to be argumentative? Do they really think they are better than those who do believe in the death penalty because they feel they are superior and more high minded? Do they realize that it's a lack of education that will drive them to oppose the death penalty?

If you are an opponent of the death penalty, then logically spell out the argument. Leave your emotions out of it and spell it out. Don't compare the cost of life in prison over that of the death penalty, because we already know that is a reform issue of the process, not part of the real debate. Logic rules here.

Now, for something of a different topic...I did up date the pictures and have the pics up of Petra!! I also have some of Brittany playing her sax! Great stuff!! Oh, and new concerts are coming... It's going to be quite the new year!