Show Jl R i I I d i Y i y r a F gy f h J r aM 3 r j 1 4 r r I 1 i v if fefe Lo o Lt t TW 7 4 y tc S a h s t Sia ia 4 1 ah 4 j 0 d x Kik a if aft I a r. r a h i F Q w d 1 I i j adt A ZT G 44 4 C CaY aY The petition on the lower portion of this picture was recently torn down from a bulletin board in the UTe art dept This petition was attempting to further establish guidelines for people who wish to smoke Individuality and Moral Responsibility By Raymond E E. Higgins What does it mean to express ones one's individual rights Indeed what are an individuals individual's rights Freedom of expression verbal written and behavioral carries with it a tremendously heavy burden We as individuals have a amoral amoral amoral moral responsibility toward our actions and the j judgments we make in our daily lives We should be held accountable for our acts If guidelines are established for spec specific ic actions then they should be followed by everyone If certain certain certain tain individuals do not agree with these rules they should make this known in hi an orderly fashion and offer constructive criticism such as possible ways to improve the situation Alternative solutions should be sought for in a cooperative cooperative cooperative tive manner As I sit here and write I think of myself as a human being not as a Catholic a Mormon or a Budd Budd- hist I am a human being first not a white man a black man or ora ora ora a red man Humans are obviously very minded categorically-minded this is one element that binds the whole world together We are Capitalists Communists liberals liberals liberals liber liber- als conservatives industrialists industrial industrial- farmers collar blue-collar workers workers workers work work- ers white-collar white workers soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers scientists students teachers teachers teachers teach teach- ers smokers non Labels Labels Labels La La- bels are convenient and unavoidable unavoidable unavoidable able they help to distinguish and define derme individuals as well as groups They help us to know and understand each other better A Alabel Alabel label in and of itself is not bad it itis itis itis is our use and misuse of labels and categories that could stand tobe to tobe tobe be re The last ten years has seen a drastic change chang in hi our dress stan stan- dars and our behavioral patterns The emphasis has been on doing 1 your own thing implying that any anyone one persons person's expression or ideas is just as valid as any t others other's ideas Different periods of time have always ushered in new fashions and life styles However one thing that need not change is our system of values And unfortunately unfortunately unfortunately it is here that I fear for society's future Often times we preoccupy ourselves with the outward presence of people ie i.e. the categories and labels we place on individuals without bothering bothering bothering both both- ering to look further into each other Are we afraid of each other or of what society would say if we showed we cared more for one another Or do we care We must reach out and communicate with one another if we are to understand understand understand under under- stand ourselves and our relationships relationships relationships relation relation- ships with each other We live in an age of fantastically fantastically fantastically fantastic fantastic- ally rapid change The exhilaration exhilaration exhilaration tion we feel is as tremendous force on each of us and we we find d different ferent ways of coping with this situation Coping behavior has many facets-aggression facets rejection rejection rejection tion suicide divorce alcoholism drugs religion We are becoming cold and impersonal beings Asserting Asserting Asserting As As- ones one's individuality does not mean ignoring or destroying another's anthers individual rights It should mean voicing ones one's opinions opinions opinions ions and listening to the opinions of others That is I think what individuality should mean in this day and age We cannot become robots with programmed patterns patterns patterns pat pat- terns of behavior Perhaps our world is changing too quickly for us Man has proved to be a highly adaptive being and it is now inthis in inthis inthis this generation that mankind must exhibit careful and coordinated coordinated coordinated to survive One step in his adaptive behavior behavior behavior beha beha- vior is to cooperate with his fellow men As Dr Paul Ehrlich has said we e are all fellow passengers passengers passengers gers on this spaceship we call Earth If we are to have privileges privileges privileges and expect them to be respected we must first seek to communicate and cooperate with each other and to respect each others other's individual rights and We should not shirk this responsibility Humans have what seems to be the most complex complex complex com com- plex and advanced system of communication Let us not ridicule ridicule ridicule ridi ridi- cule and deride one another and waste this valuable asset Words are marvelous vehicles of expression for both good and bad The following passage conveys conveys conveys con con- veys far more eloquently than I Ican Ican Ican can the feelings and thoughts I have presented herewith In The Ascent of Man Dr Jacob Bronowski Bronowski Bronowski Bron- Bron states that We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute absolute absolute ab ab- ab- ab solute knowledge and power We have to close the distance between between between bet bet- the push-button push order and the human act We have to touch people |