Discussion

Peace


First of all let me take this opportunity to which everyone a beneficial fast and may your spiritual month be one filled with enlightment and peace to the heart. Secondly I had the privilege some time ago to attend a discussion show. This was an experience wich I welcomed greatly since I had never attended a tv show and thus was interessted into knowing how things are run as well as being live one planning from the team was crucial. Moreover before attending the editor sent everyone attending the topics and asked for feedback, and so I would like to share them here:

1) Should the great apes be given civil rights? (Things like a right to safety, against discrimination, equality, all sorts of non-speaking rights that humans have)

I agree that the great apes should definitely be accorded the legal right to life and protection from torture. Apes have been endangered for centuries where ape mothers have been shot and their infants shipped off as pets in different countries. I also believe that this law should be extended to other endangered species and that justice and respect should be observed for all non-human species since giving rights for one group and not another is in itself a breach of civil rights and discriminatory. However I do believe that this law would not mean to open up zoo gates and let all apes free but rather zoos should serve the purpose of preserving species but also ensuring an environment where they are given the opportunity to flourish and not be tortured or subjected to cruel and degrading treatment. Moreover as we debate about establishing laws for animals we should not forget the millions of humans around the world that live in sub-human conditions



2) could catholic confession be a replacement for therapy?

I believe that the purpose of confession i.e. acknowledge ones sins, repent from them and seek forgiveness is therapeutic for the soul and can protect it from further insult. However I don’t believe that it should be a replacement therapy where it involves third party since repenting should be a personal act whereby one does the mistake, seeks repentance and enter into a sincere covenant with god directly.



3) Are worldly goods an obstacle to enlightenment?

As with everything, worldly goods if over indulged or extravagant and overly obsessed with could be one of the factors in the prevention of enlightenment since ones focus and energy is engulfed by the interest for money and possessions rather than spiritual or ethical values. Having said this humans by nature have the tendencies for material inclination but if used within measured levels can serve a purpose of a more harmonious existence where neither material ingredient (rank of beast) nor spiritual ingredient (monasticism) dominates.

Three purtent questions which I know has no right or wrong answer, but one thing I would like to also add is that it was extremly interessting to see that a room filled with people could have such a varied opinion which in turn propagated a discussion whereby points were raised from a few point I didnt considere.

peace