On 6/11/06, Sean Barrett sean@epoptic.com wrote:
Oh, I know what you mean. I also find that principles can be extremely annoying. Life is so much easier if one ignores them when they get inconvenient.
It's not that principles should be ignored. It's that they need to be formulated and prioritized carefully. If the British government had stuck to the principle "never negotiate with terrorists," the Provisional IRA would still be blowing people up, but it was decided instead that the principle of saving lives was more important, and the gamble paid off.
Sean, if someone points a gun at your head and asks for your wallet, you don't think: "If I give in, they'll just move on and do this to someone else." No, you hand over your wallet, because you value your life.
Sarah