The grown-up version of Santa is paralleled in the belief in a magic sky-genie who keeps a private torture chamber. IOW, if it truly takes the threat of an afterlife of eternal torture to make you not be horrible to other people, then you do not get credit for being nice.
That always bothered me—that people are accounted praiseworthy for being publicly kind and generous one day (or week or month) a year, even if they’re nasty and brutish the rest of the time, while no one gets acknowledged for being decent and upstanding and honest all the time without calling attention to themselves about it. But then I’m a good Jewish boy from Brooklyn; what do I know about Christian customs?
Without the threat of hell (or some ultimate punishment), man might have run amok, and civilization would always be “might makes right”. When you look at modern society, at how leaders seem to act in their own interests— which deny or punish ours —without fear of reprisal, you see how quickly things can get out of hand.
Thank Odin our moral compass is not dependent on religion. Just watching the news tells us as much (Roy Moore, any televangelist who owns a jet, suicide bombers, Catholics who teach African peasants not to use condoms, I could go on…)
The little town I live in is really more like a neighborhood with taxes. Aside from a recreation center, a library, an elementary school, a city hall and some guy drawing a comic strip in the back of his house, there’s not much in the way of commerce. But it was supposed to have a downtown once, a main street, and that’s the street I live on. So the lots are storefront-sized — nice and compact. My neighbor’s driveway and my driveway run edge by edge. My neighbor is also, very fortunately, awesome. Whenever it snows, whichever of us gets out there first typically clears the snow from both driveways. And why not? It’s not like they’re huge driveways, and once you’ve got the warm clothes on and the shovel or snowblower out, it hardly changes the job.
But neither of us wants to wind up on the slacker side of the equation, so it can be a race to be the first one out there. Yesterday, after the first snowfall of the year to speak of, I won. Not only did I get out there first, but Jim wasn’t even home, so I got the shared driveway done and several neighbors’ worth of sidewalk as well. Yay, me. And then a couple of hours later the second snowfall to speak of came and covered up the driveways and sidewalks anew before anyone got home from work. The only one to benefit was Cathy the Mailman. (Which, she’s the one who really ought to enjoy clear walks, but it messes up my story, so we’ll let Cathy go about her business.)
So, to get around to the point: Basketball coach John Wooden said that character is what you do when no one’s looking. I’d like to know the word for what you do when no one’s ever going to know the difference.
Frazz by Jef Mallett for Dec 12, 2017 | GoComics.com
CanuckAmuck over 6 years ago
The grown-up version of Santa is paralleled in the belief in a magic sky-genie who keeps a private torture chamber. IOW, if it truly takes the threat of an afterlife of eternal torture to make you not be horrible to other people, then you do not get credit for being nice.
Ralph Newbill over 6 years ago
Hockeytown USA!
Brass Orchid Premium Member over 6 years ago
Using lack of desire to silence the moral compass?
This should be interesting.
The Brooklyn Accent over 6 years ago
That always bothered me—that people are accounted praiseworthy for being publicly kind and generous one day (or week or month) a year, even if they’re nasty and brutish the rest of the time, while no one gets acknowledged for being decent and upstanding and honest all the time without calling attention to themselves about it. But then I’m a good Jewish boy from Brooklyn; what do I know about Christian customs?
sandpiper over 6 years ago
Actually, Caulfield, that’s a very good way to look at it.
William Bednar Premium Member over 6 years ago
Looks like he has a very low bar for “nice”.
dja1701 over 6 years ago
not nice to subject the audience to that hockey team advertisement
Kind&Kinder over 6 years ago
Without the threat of hell (or some ultimate punishment), man might have run amok, and civilization would always be “might makes right”. When you look at modern society, at how leaders seem to act in their own interests— which deny or punish ours —without fear of reprisal, you see how quickly things can get out of hand.
cervelo over 6 years ago
Thank Odin our moral compass is not dependent on religion. Just watching the news tells us as much (Roy Moore, any televangelist who owns a jet, suicide bombers, Catholics who teach African peasants not to use condoms, I could go on…)
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 6 years ago
The little town I live in is really more like a neighborhood with taxes. Aside from a recreation center, a library, an elementary school, a city hall and some guy drawing a comic strip in the back of his house, there’s not much in the way of commerce. But it was supposed to have a downtown once, a main street, and that’s the street I live on. So the lots are storefront-sized — nice and compact. My neighbor’s driveway and my driveway run edge by edge. My neighbor is also, very fortunately, awesome. Whenever it snows, whichever of us gets out there first typically clears the snow from both driveways. And why not? It’s not like they’re huge driveways, and once you’ve got the warm clothes on and the shovel or snowblower out, it hardly changes the job.
But neither of us wants to wind up on the slacker side of the equation, so it can be a race to be the first one out there. Yesterday, after the first snowfall of the year to speak of, I won. Not only did I get out there first, but Jim wasn’t even home, so I got the shared driveway done and several neighbors’ worth of sidewalk as well. Yay, me. And then a couple of hours later the second snowfall to speak of came and covered up the driveways and sidewalks anew before anyone got home from work. The only one to benefit was Cathy the Mailman. (Which, she’s the one who really ought to enjoy clear walks, but it messes up my story, so we’ll let Cathy go about her business.)
So, to get around to the point: Basketball coach John Wooden said that character is what you do when no one’s looking. I’d like to know the word for what you do when no one’s ever going to know the difference.
Frazz by Jef Mallett for Dec 12, 2017 | GoComics.com