Doing Wrong or Suffering Wrong

Three well known figures in literature are walking down the street one day. One is know as Odysseus, the hero from the Odyssey. He is known for being a great warrior and also being very wise in decisions. Another is Alessandro, the main character from A Soldier of the Great War. He has great experience that he learned from his time in the war. His experience makes him very wise in all conflicts that arise. The last is Socrates, the great philosopher. He is the most knowledgeable of the three and being a philosopher, it gives him a great edge over the rest. While they are on their walk something unexpected happens, and after this event takes place, its sparks an interesting conversation between the three.

Odysseus: And as I was saying Socrates….

(Whack!) An object from a passing car hits Odysseus.

Odysseus: What in Athena’s name was that!!!!

Socrates: I believe you were hit by another man’s junk Odysseus.

Odysseus: He is going to pay for that! Odysseus now picks up a rock and heaves it at the man’s truck. It leaves a big dent but the driver keeps driving not noticing.

Socrates: Do you really think that was the right decision to retaliate like that Odysseus?

Odysseus: What do you mean Socrates?

Alessandro: I think he is trying to say that your decision to fight back was not ethical.

Odysseus: What do you mean??? He hit me first without reason! I should be able to retaliate!

Socrates: Do you feel it is worse to suffer wrongly, or to be doing the harm?

Alessandro: What do you mean by suffer wrongly Socrates?

Socrates: I mean Alessandro, that one who suffers without reason or unfairly.

Alessandro: Ah I see your point now Socrates.

Socrates: So Odysseus, what do you feel about the subject?

Odysseus: Well I feel that I should be able to retaliate, because I am the one who suffered wrong.

Socrates: Well that is not the question Odysseus. Listen carefully to what I am asking and think about your response. I am asking if it is worse to be suffering wrongly, or to be doing the harm your self. And by suffering wrong I mean suffering without cause or unjustly as I told Alessandro before.

Odysseus: I think that a person who is suffering wrongly is far worse than the one who is doing the harm.

Socrates: Why do you feel that way?

Odysseus: Well I think that a person suffering wrongly is completely unfair. You must suffer for something you had no part in and had no control over. It could also be a very painful suffering depending on the situation. While on the other hand the person who is doing the harm, is doing something ethically wrong, but he feels no shame in doing it. He also feels no pain or harm in anyway because he is the one delivering the pain. And if this is a particularly evil person, he gets joy out of the persecuting. So the person who is doing the harm feels no shame or pain doing the action, but the person who is suffering wrongly feels the pain of the others action.

Alessandro: You make an interesting point Odysseus.

Socrates: Yes he does, but did you ever take into consideration the point of view in which you are looking at? You were looking at the situation more through the physical and mental point of view, but how about if you look at it through the view of the ethical or moral sense of the situation?

Alessandro: I see what you are saying Socrates. May I offer my two cents on the question before us?

Socrates: Certainly go right ahead. Alessandro: In the physical sense, you make a strong point Odysseus. That the one who is suffering wrongly will feel much greater pain than the one who is doing the persecuting. And in the mental sense, you are right. The one who is persecuting will feel no shame at all, while the one who is suffering will feel like crap after he suffered for nothing. But think about it in terms of your final judgment, where you will spend your remaining time after your human life, in heaven with all the gods, or in the Underworld with Hades. If you suffer wrong, you are not doing anything ethically wrong so it will not affect where you go after you die. However, if you are the one who is doing the harm, it will not score you any points with the big man upstairs if you know what I mean. So, if you are the one who is doing the harm, it might not affect you in the moment, but it will affect you in the long run. My opinion is that it is worse to do wrong, than to suffer wrong.

Socrates: You make a good point Alessandro.

Alessandro: Thank you Socrates. What do you say about this Odysseus?

Odysseus: I feel that you are correct in your argument Alessandro. But I feel that how one is affected emotionally and physically now, will have a great influence on people than knowing that it does not help in the long run.

Socrates: So you are saying that if you ask people if they would rather be hurt physically or emotionally now, or not have any physical or emotional pain today, but have it affect their judgment day when they die? People would choose not suffer any pain now, rather then suffer now and have it affect them later?

Odysseus: Yes that is exactly my point Socrates. The common man today would choose the easy way out.

Socrates: I see, but I think the common man is not correct in his decision. The majority of the population might choose what you have suggested, but just because the common man would choose that, doesn’t make it morally correct.

Odysseus: Well maybe it doesn’t, but I think because the majority of the world will choose it, it makes my argument valid. Socrates: You should think about what you are saying before opening your mouth Odysseus. But on the other hand, it’s getting late. So I’m going to head back to my place now, but we will continue our discussion tomorrow.

Alessandro: Sounds good, see you all in the morning. After they all depart that evening, each one goes to his house and spends almost all night thinking about their discussion. They all had different thoughts about how the argument went. Odysseus was the one who was not happy with the result. He felt that his opinions were pretty much rejected in the argument and that they had no regard for what he said. He spends the majority of the night planning out his arguments and how he will counter the points made by Alessandro and Socrates. After a few hours of sleep, Odysseus might not be well rested, but he is prepared.