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I'd really like to know. On a daily basis our inaction causes harm to others outside our nation, but we pay it no mind. We shrug it off as immutable misfortune part of life. Yet, as soon as something is actively done that causes harm we raise our eyebrows. I don't understand it. Someone please explain it to me.
There are too many things that are out of our control to be able to care enough to do something about it. Five million starving people? I can deal with one, you know those commercials that tell you about them and ask you to donate. Sure. But now there are also children in sweatshops? And slave rings?
I'm not trying to sound heartless, but it really just is overwhelming the amount of things that are out of control, literally.
It's not hard to argue with something happening right in front of you, as opposed to something happening thousands of miles away.
It is a question that has been asked for centuries. In the bible they call it sin of omission vs. sin of commission.
It basically comes down to one of the basics of law which is intent.
If you do something to harm someone, your intent is clear, if you simply fail to help someone, it is harder to establish intent.
You're on a run away train barreling towards a cliff. If the train goes over the 100 passengers will surely die.
Fortunately, there is a switch on the track just ahead. If you switch tracks the passengers will be saved, unfortunately there is an infant baby laying on the track. If you switch tracks you will kill the infant.
Do you switch tracks?
Doing nothing will result in the death of 100 innocent people
Doing something will result in the death of 1 innocent person
It's still not an easy decision to make.
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