And then the real thing (abuse, harassment, penn state, catholic pedophiles)

And then, interestingly enough, the news comes along with the perfect example of acts that we cannot forgive, the molestation charges associated with former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the ensuing coverup. The stomach cringes, the eyes wish to avert themselves from the train wreck, one thinks of the innocent victims left with shame and how to cope. Grief spreads out from the epicenters of the collected crimes. The cries against such acts are just indeed, and no stone must be left unturned.

Such acts allow a sense of scale. A long time ago in youth, in your romantic confusion, with bumbling shyness, one had an appreciation for a girl. And yes, maybe it even resembled that which we in our pop culture call stalking and rightly take to be creepy, or at least highly awkward and unwanted. Even if it was never your intention, to be like that, because, after all, you were in better control of yourself than you may have been made out to be. And through passivity or just bad luck or the bad influences of your chums, "come on, let's do a shot," the whole matter was left just hanging over you, unresolved. Because, you are considered far too much of a creep to be addressed, or, quite simply because it all was long ago and just forget it. Whatever you would do, obviously, you can't win, even if the decent part of yourself would want something akin to resolution, maybe a chance to apologize, just briefly, and then let the whole thing drop, no longer to feel about the whole thing. Because you never had bad or selfish intentions anyway. Just that it all got so muddled up in youthful days that you don't want to even deal with it yourself anyway, wishing you could forget it all but for the subtle stain it leaves upon one's honor. But hey, if someone finds you undesirable for whatever reason, like maybe, a: you don't have your shit together, fine, no problem at all. Address your needs as you see fit, that's totally cool and fine with me.



A First-Rate Madness, Uncovering the links between leadership and mental illness, by Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, The Penguin Press, 2011, makes an interesting case. One summary of part of the overall thesis is that in times of great upheaval, we have been well-served by those whose depression and mental illness allowed them to exert a great empathy over their times, along with resilience, the resilience such individuals develop through dealing with their condition's ups and downs over the period of many years. So, an emphasis on Abraham Lincoln for his empathy with those cast into slavery and with those of the Confederate rebellion, as one example. Gandhi came to passive resistance, the book argues, for his ability to emphasize with individuals even if they were of British rule.

Empathy, as we might find in Shakespeare's Hamlet, can perhaps cloud the mind with considerations as far as actions to actively take, famously, if we allow art into the context of such matters. To attribute empathy to Hamlet is but one interpretation upon a work of fiction, anyway. Dr. Ghaemi offers some resolution with the suggestion that empathy and the general sympathetic actions a depressive might take may lead to good things as well. And it seems nice for someone to come along with a decent argument to give credit where credit is due.

But that all still leaves us where we are today. Perhaps empathy here should completely be relegated to the sidelines in this case of willful ignorance and cover-up. A better person of good character will see that there really are no grey areas here, and of course there aren't. Charges must be brought, judgments must be made, and victims hopefully may be helped toward some form of healing as perpetrators are put away where they will do no more harm.

Still, one thinks of, even at such a time, of how charges quickly and rashly made can damage the lives of the charged, and through the passive lack of offering forgiveness or simple understanding to the so charged will continue to do harm as well.

Yes, forgive us of our trespasses where, or as, we would forgive those who trespass against us. Generally speaking, it would be very hard for us to forgive someone who did the things Sandusky did to young boys to us, and righty so.

Oh, how could I forget, the case of sexual harassment charges against Herman Cain, which also have a ring of credibility. Like a true harasser, he seems to carry absolutely no sense of wrong-doing, firm in his conviction that he did nothing wrong, that this is all complete fabrication. No contrition at all. A refusal to face the issue, one that marks him as a particular type not so desirable, to say the least. That, my friends, if true, is real sexual harassment, a serious charge obviously. Mr. Cain's quick denial reminds one, again, of Clarence Thomas's reaction to the same charge. "Clarence Thomas was 'obsessed with porn,' former colleague and girlfriend says in interview," one of several stories dated October 22, 2010.

Yes, self-righteous denials and high claims of occupying moral high ground always and forever, ought to make one suspicious.