Circular Hypocritical Reasoning?
There is a request which has popularly been made that members of modern society should not police or dictate other people's lives if they are not causing suffering.
If someone is overweight, it is none of your business to comment on it.
If someone is a smoker, it is none of your business to comment on it.
If someone wants to walk around naked, it is none of your business to comment on it.
The devil's advocate in me wonders, though: Who will police those who are policing others, if we aren't allowed to police anyone that is not ourselves?
It could be said that the original policing group (those who speak down on obesity, smoking, nakedness, etc...) are causing suffering of an emotional and mental kind. Their comments heap condemnation, shame, and embarrassment on the recipients.
But aren't those things of less importance than preventing disease, death, and destruction? If I can encourage my friend to lose weight, and provide a solution to do so, am I such a terrible person that I care for their well being? Is it better that they have comfort of emotional health temporarily than comfort of physical health permanently?
There is something to be said about creating a positive environment where an individual will be encouraged to make better, healthier decisions on their own accord. It is within each individual, not from with-out, that the desire to change is found or created. We lead by positive example, not by negative coercion.
While this is true, I do wonder if we're creating a poor foundation by correcting people simply because they would correct others. If they can't comment on how their friend shouldn't walk around naked, why do I get to comment on how they shouldn't say anything about it? Who is responsible for whom, and where are the boundary lines drawn?
Please note that my comment is not a justification for bigotry, arrogance, and elitism - it is a request that we find a new way to address these issues of supremacy over others before we create a new system that functions in exactly the same way.
