Stephen Tonkin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am diabetic. If my blood sugar gets too low I
> feel incredibly agitated and irritated until I get
> it up again. Until recently, I taught a kid with
> the same condition. Whereas I suggest it is
> entirely natural for a child to give vent to the
> irritation he feels, an adult should exercise a
> tad more restraint (to put it mildly).

I totally understand what you mean. I am sick all the time, usually having half a dozen health problems going on to nuisance me daily. It makes me tired and grumpy alot but you don't see me running out with guns ablazing. An adult should exercise more restraint. However, there are situations when an adult can't. My grandfather had a rare and very bad reaction to morphine during a pacemaker transplant a few years ago. He went nuts, literally, where the hospital was having to restrain him nearly 24/7. He has mostly recovered and, thankfully, he doesn't seem to remember much of it or else he'd be horrified. Sometimes, things happen to our bodies, especially our brains that do make things go out of control.

>
> We are human beings, for heaven's sake, not
> animals at the mercy of our own instincts! It is
> becoming increasingly fashionable to use
> environmental or genetic excuses for antisocial or
> criminal behaviour. I suggest that, every time we
> do so, we erode a little of what it is to be
> human. The crown of creation? The paragon of
> animals? Not the way we are going!

We are human beings, true, but there are times where we are still the animal as well. I would agree that we have increasingly become a society that finds excuses for antisocial and criminal behaviour. I remember years ago that the actions of people were excused because "they had a bad childhood" and etc. However, even with my disgust for that kind of pointing blame to everyone else but the criminal, I do have to acknowledge that there are situations where somebody may not be in control at all. Like Grandpa and the morphine.

Stephanie




In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.--Ralph Waldo Emerson