guilty

This was enough of a digression from a digression to miss the cut for the previous post, but I bet FerretBoy and the Reverend would be interested in knowing what I mean by that word, lacking as I do the Christian, salvation-by-grace concept of a sin problem as FerretBoy described way over there in that other thread.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to think that when it comes to cosmic verities, what you see is what you get. Lots o'hydrogen, a few big spherical rocks, some peculiar long-chain carbon compounds on one ot the rocks, the evolution of species -- the crystalline symmetry of Canary Wharf different only in complexity and scale from that of snowflakes on lifeless Europa or Pluto.

And we are human beings. No-one can promise us more, and no-one should grant us less. Evolution has equipped us with almost limitless capacities for wisdom, joy, love, understanding and peace. (And their opposites.) That is our humanity and our humanity is our glory. That which diminishes another's humanity -- that which dehumanises -- is, I believe, the only sin. Every other ethical rule on the books is just an elaboration of that one.

Peter