EckhartPilgrim said:MrSpenfo said:
Eh, I'd say that's a touch of base as far as the moral of the episode. I'ts more so about integrity, what I mean is, the bugs attacked because the guilt. The guilt existed not because he stole, but because he stole and regretted it. The moral was not to not be a thief regardless of circumstance, because the theft he committed was a sacrifice of part of his integrity, that sacrifice turned to guilt, and thus the bugs attacked. More accurately, the moral of the story is, do not betray yourself in an attempt to satisfy others, for doing so will only bring despair to yourself and them.
The little brother wasn't even conscious that what he did was stealing, so he didn't sacrifice any part of his integrity. Actuality, there would have been no problem if the big brother didn't shove morals in his little brother's face the way he did. He didn't even let the boy explain how he got the shoes and went straight to make him feel guilty, because... stealing is bad, you know. Just think about it: if the big brother didn't say anything, or explained to his little brother that what he did was stealing while keeping the shoes because their mother still need them, or even just explained to the kid then went to give the shoes back, the whole situation wouldn't even have happened and no moral would have come out of it. But it was important for the author that something came out of this story, and this something is that you mustn't steal, whatever the circumstances. At the end of the episode everything is ok, morals are safe and the mom can go back to walk with her worn shoes.
Well, all that to say that I didn't like the explanation behind the whole situation at all and particularly the way the author handled it, with morals and stuff. However, I'm aware that this is a shounen show made for 10-15 year-old boys and that you can't just tell kids stealing is ok. As an adult, I however think that context is crucial to understand and judge an individual's action, and I don't share the author's morals concerning this specific story.
I disagree, it doesn't matter if someone else pushes their morals upon you, that's not the birth place of guilt, sure, it can be the trigger that makes you realize your guilt, but that's not where guilt is born. If you don't see anything wrong with your actions, then someone saying that your actions were wrong is just going to lead to a disagreement. On the other hand, if someone points out the fact that you did something wrong, and then you agree, guilt is born out of the fact that you did something that you wish you hadn't. No matter what the cause for the realization, if you realize that you did something that is wrong within your reasoning of what is right/wrong, then that will cause guilt. If you're a sociopath that doesn't see things as right or wrong, it doesn't matter if someone tells you, "what you did was wrong", you won't feel guilt. If you have a sense of what is right/wrong, but disregard it to attempt to make someone else feel happy even though it is morally wrong, and then your misdeed is recognized, you will then realize how your misdeed outweighed the "good" thing you were trying to accomplish, and thus, feel guilty.
His guilt is ultimately created because, he agrees with his eldest brother that he did something morally wrong. Just because you have the reasoning at the time of "I'm going to steal in order to give my hard-working mother a new pair of shoes", that doesn't mean you won't later come to the conclusion that "my mother wouldn't want me to steal, even if it was for her benefit". On the other hand, if he grew up in a family that stole to survive, then this event wouldn't have been anything, but this is a family with integrity regardless of their poor stature, and the boy, sacrificed that integrity in hopes of doing something "nice" only to realize that he he had sacrificed integrity not only on the behalf of his family, but on his behalf as well.
It doesn't matter whether or not someone led him to the conclusion that what he did was wrong or not, what matters is that he agreed with the sentiment, and felt guilt. Think of it in terms of, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink", or in this case, "you can lead a boy to the fallacy in his ways, but you can't make him feel guilt". |