“Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members - the last, the least, the littlest.” -Cardinal Roger Mahony“The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens.” -Jimmy Carter
"The degree of civilisation in a society is revealed by entering its prisons." -Winston Churchill
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mohandas Gandhi
“A society will be judged by how it treats its weakest members.” -Harry S. Truman
Oh Bob, I wanted to say something but I don’t know if it makes sense. We all have a different perspective of the weakest, last, least, littlest, helpless in our society. Is it the the poor, unborn, sick, immigrant, single mother, disabled, uneducated, stray? How do we reconcile our differing opinions of the weak?
ReplyDeleteAs a human race I think we can only live up to the premisses you listed (of a society, nation civilization) by valuing every human life and having a commitment within to treat every person with the same respect dignity and care we want for ourselves.
If that is our desire I think we start with our own sphere of life, friends influence. I find myself doing a lot of teaching and modeling with my granddaughters. I hope and pray they become caring human beings with respect for all creatures. That they don’t think they are better then anyone else or that anyone else is better (more valuable) than they.
Hi Livie. Personal influence may be the most important? Community is also important. And in our national community I think that it is important to demonstrate a respect and a kindness towards all people - especially those who we disagree with the most. After all, anyone can be nice to folks who are nice to them. Maintaining love and civility is a great way to influence people of all ages - especially younger molderable generations.
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