The Gray Area:
"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of a moral crisis." - (Dante, 12th century Italian poet)
I love people who take my side in arguments because well, who doesn't? I respect people who choose to differ because they have the courage to not simply accept and the intellect to question. But there is one type of person that I cannot stand. I despise neutrality.
There are those who straddle the fence, neither here nor there. When a disagreement occurs they are unable to pick a side. Rather, they choose not to pick a side. They choose to remain neutral, peaceful, untouched and uninvolved. Neither black or white but a moral gray area.
On a surface level it seems quite an acceptable thing to do. After all no one wants to go looking for trouble and its downright rude to stick your nose in the affairs of others. But when your voice is required today, speak out here and now. Don't remain silent under the pretense of neutrality because the truth is your not being neutral, you just don't want to get involved.
It's the kind of herd mentality that human beings have suffered from since generations. When a man is getting beaten up in public. a crowd gathers to watch. Sure the whole crowd could overwhelm the attacker. But they stay still, neutral, unfeeling, allowing the atrocity to take place. No one wants to be the first to take a stand, no one wants to get involved. They don't realize that neutrality doesn't exist, not really. Neutrality is just a fictional place in the head. When they chose to be quiet, they already picked a side. The side of the attacker. Silence is consent.
It's the same problem that's destroying the world as we know it now. When countries with power don't put an end to terrorism simply because they are not affected. Not my business, they say. But with great power comes great responsibility. And it is their responsibility to lend their power to those who do not possess their own.
So enough of being neutral. Pick a side.
" So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" - Revelations 3:16
Completely agree!!
ReplyDeleteVery true and agree on that point, Yet i think There exists larger picture , neutrality can sometimes be helplessness, or inability to make a decision or it is chosen out of fear. Fear of losing relationships, fear of losing things they love the most, or fear of speaking the right thing, because many eventually becomes victims of neutrality because in their former days when they chose a side, they were the unfortunate receiver of lack of understanding, disrespect, hurt from those who took opposing sides. It makes sense to me if there are many neutral persons, then there exists many people who see black and white but lack enough compassion.
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