Though I sometimes talk about events being neutral, that we are the ones that decide if an event is good or bad, relative to all other things in our world, I am not of the belief that there are no moral absolutes.
What I mean I feel is illustrated well by my son who recently came in for the night without locking his passenger door, only to awake and find his car had been an easy target for thieves in the night. Not only did they take his stereo, and his iPod, they took his Marine Dress Blue coat. I must say when I heard the news, I was shocked and alarmed because that is the first time in years that a crime has been committed on my property.
Then I asked him how he felt, and was surprised to hear that he was frustrated sure, but that it was all good and that he is not upset, though he will be more aware of the locking of the door. His calmness caused me again to reflect on my deeply held belief that while there is an overall battle going on in the world between right and wrong, and we are all witnesses everyday to acts of kindness and of evil, ultimately, we are still the judges of how each event will affect us and our continued progress.
I am reminded about the Amish community that reached out and embraced the family of the milkman who killed himself only after taking the lives of 5 young girls in their community. They did this to end the suffering that had lain dormant apparently long before the horrible act was committed. They did not have to convene and decide to be kind, or to embrace the man's family. They did not pause to think about it at all, but had lived lives of gratitude and compassion to that point that led them to naturally forgive and embrace the family of the milkman and to mourn the loss of that man, as well as the young girls.
As one speaker put it, the event "caused great anguish among the Amish but no anger. There was hurt but no hate. Their forgiveness was immediate." This can only come as we train ourselves to respond to all things with a feeling of gratitude, to acknowledge God's hand in all things and to know that all things can be for a greater good, though the immediate picture might cause pain.
If there is no moral absolute, then a moral compass will lead us nowhere, and I am daily training mine to lead me home.
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