Take these two gentlemen:
One desires to follow his beliefs consistently, no matter what the context might be. Case in point:
>"We the undersigned demand that the Serbian authorities immediately
> >release Slobodan Milosevic and all other Serbian patriots from jail.
>"Free Slobodan Milosevic at once!
>"End persecution of Mr. Milosevic and all Yugoslav patriots and >soldiers
>at once!"
>178. Carrol B. Cox, Assistant. Professor of English, Retired, Illinois
> >State University, USA
I'm not too sure what to make of this. I was curious to know the reasoning behind it when I first saw it, but, being a little unsure of myself, I watched what others did first. No one said very much I can remember, so I put it on the back-burner to ask about this display of consistency later. But I have to admire that consistency. This person will no doubt go places.
And this second gentleman. I thought the first one was so consistent, so sure about his ethics and values and reasoning that he could probably count each grain of sand on beach with no trouble, not noticing the tide coming in. But this second man, wow! He states quite openly that he is inconsistent and, I suspect, consistently be inconsistent:
>I've laid out the reasons why I supported going into Afghanistan, and >I
>understand that my support is in many ways a contradiction of what I >said
>above. So be it. Life is full of contradictions. I stand by it >regardless.
So two men: one who states what he believes, no matter what it might make him look to others; another who states what he believes whenever he decides to believe it, likewise no matter what it might make him look to others.
Examples of consistency and strong wills to us all!
Todd
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