This morning, this story on NPR.org caught my eye. The idea of the thief, or thieves, returning the loot with the note was touching and, because it's NPR, I thought I might read through a few of the comments. As an aside, I generally venture into "Comment" zones with great caution as one never knows what lies beneath. In any case, one of the commentators on this particular article made a joke about "Robin Hood [having] a 3rd grade education." Now, even as I sit here after typing that out, I must take pause. Education is a big deal and few things will stir me more than discussing the state of education in this country. So I pause.
The Yama, consisting of a list of five character-building restraints, is the first of Patanjali's Eight-Fold path toward leading a life of meaning and ethical intent. The third restraint in this list of Yamas is asteya, which means: Do not steal. The connection between the news story and this Yama is obvious. The thieves should not have stolen the loot in the first place, right? But anyone who's ever had anything -- physical or otherwise -- taken from them knows how truly devastating loss can be.
This morning, however, I cannot help but wonder about this thing called opportunity. As Americans, we pride ourselves in the fact that we are a land of opportunity. If that is the case, then are we to presume that everyone in this country has the opportunity to obtain an education? And what if that doesn't happen? Or what if it's not possible? What, then, has become of the opportunity? Has the action of taking the opportunity been aborted or has the opportunity itself simply been taken away? Or, might we say, stolen away?
No comments:
Post a Comment