Computers operate in a binary world, meaning they store data, perform calculations, and execute commands using only zeros and ones. Everything, from telling time, to creating a spreadsheet, to launching a cruise missile, is executed through a series of zeros and ones.
When I was a small child I too operated in a similar world that was governed by my parents and executed through a series of binary commands: yes or no, good or bad, right or wrong. Eventually a virus infected this program creating all kinds of havoc: free will. At first the glitch was simple. A command was given by my mother or an answer was given by my father, but instead of obedience they got a question. “Why?”
“Pick up your toys.”
“Why?”
“No, you cannot go to Bryan’s house.”
“Why?”
Nothing has been simple since.
For a very long time now I have operated in a very complex world. Although many things can still be governed in binary terms (yes/no, good/bad, right/wrong), there are a whole host of other factors that must be taken into account when trying to determine an appropriate response or make an appropriate decision.
Motive is an important factor that can transform an action from simply being “good” or “bad.” Is the motivation for a particular action selfishness, greed, pride, control, fear, or exclusion? Is it wrong to purchase batteries? Obviously not. But what if I purchase all of the batteries in town, far more than I need, leaving none for anyone else, ahead of a hurricane? Purchasing batteries isn’t wrong, but selfishness is. Is it wrong for a store to sell products for whatever price they choose? No, but in a competitive marketplace it might not be wise, which is why most stores have similar items priced in the same range. What if a store decides to raise the price of gasoline or generators 500% during a natural disaster like a hurricane? Charging whatever price you choose isn’t wrong, but greed certainly is, not to mention exploitation of the vulnerable.
Another factor that can transform right to wrong or good to bad is the eventual outcome of a decision. Human beings have a long history of failing to see the ultimate consequences of today’s actions. Good intentions don’t always produce good results. Admittedly, some outcomes aren’t just unintended but unforeseeable. For example, for many years Christians in the United States have sent benevolent relief to places like Haiti in the form of clothing and shoes. There was a need, there was obviously a loving desire to meet that need, but there was also an unforeseen consequence of this “good” deed. Local economies have been severely disrupted due to an influx of donations from the United States. Local industries that produce clothes and shoes have been forced to lay off employees, or even close factories and stores because no one is buying from them anymore. Clearly no American Christians had this in mind when their church initiated a “Shoes For Haiti” drive, but when we learn better we should also be compelled to do better.
In other cases an outcome was known from the beginning but because of the previously listed motives — selfishness, greed, pride, control, fear — an action was executed without regard for the impact it would have on others. Some of the worst offenders in this area have been oil companies, tobacco manufacturers, pharmaceutical producers, and the auto manufacturing industry. Products have been sold to the public despite the manufacturers having knowledge that they were addictive, harmful, or even fatal. Environments and communities have been contaminated, destroyed and irreparably altered for the sake of profit. There is nothing wrong with making a profit, but to profit at the expense of others can turn good to bad.
Ironically, in more recent years it has been the computer which has been the vehicle for unintended outcomes. The creation of social media was intended to be a way for friends and communities, often separated by great distances, to remain connected and involved in one another’s lives. If only that were still the case. Soon our online communities were being targeted by advertisers wanting our money. Next the social media providers themselves turned us into a product to be sold by compiling every conceivable piece of data about us which they would sell to the highest bidder. Eventually foreign entities would exploit our interactions for the purpose of shaping opinion, swaying elections, and creating conflict amongst us. Presently, our friends are our opponents who must be proven wrong, defeated, insulted, and ultimately silenced. The likely future is that our once large communities will continue to get smaller, divided again and again over any and every difference of opinion, until our circle is so small that it only has room for me.
If you are wondering “which side of the debate” I’m on, you are missing my point. When this latest debate and outrage is old news, and it will be very, very soon, there will be another to take it’s place. And another. And another. There is always something to be outraged about, and it seems there is no shortage of people who make it their agenda to keep us stirred up. This isn’t to say we should’nt be outraged. When we see evil we should confront it and unite to defeat it. When we learn better and know better we should do better. Sadly we live in a climate where the word evil has been tossed around so flippantly for so long that many can no longer recognize true evil when it is right in front of their faces. Equally tragic, many choose to equivocate evil with other imperfections, as if the existence of one justifies the existence of the other. Evil and hate has never been defeated by more hate, it just results in more hate.
Like you, I have opinions on all of the issues of our day and although my instinct is to speak on them in binary terms, I realize they are actually very complex — too complex to boil down to a simple, binary response. There is a reason why friends, family, church members, differ drastically on these issues....the answers are not simple. There are many potential outcomes for each decision, some good, some horrific, some unforeseeable in the present. Complicating these issues are the many motives behind the suggested solutions — selfishness, greed, pride, control, fear, and exclusion). Our greatest hope is to stop vilifying those who disagree with or differ from us and start seeking common ground upon which we can build a better future. Stop with the ultimatums and threats. Calling your neighbor racist, evil, liberal, stupid, un-American, homophobic, communist, et al, will only build the wall that separates us at best and imprisons us at worst.
Computers can do amazing things, but they have limitations because they can only operate in a binary world. Computers can be programmed to say “I love you” but they cannot love. We can. We must. We limit ourselves when we reduce everything to a binary response. Our world is complex and solutions aren’t always easy to reach. If we aren’t on speaking terms with “the other side” we are far more likely to come up with solutions that create bigger problems. What is good for many may be outright catastrophic for many others. In those situations what do we do?
There is still a binary system that works pretty well in these “impossible” situations. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Every action, from buying a product, to operating a business, to immigration policy, would do well to express these values in all their variations. When I love God with all my heart I seek to do His will above my own and I check my motives in the process. Am I being selfish or greedy or prideful or am I acting out of fear? When I love my neighbor as myself I don’t just consider what is good for me, but what is best for us. Love for neighbor leads me to consider my motives in the process. Am I being controlling or exclusive or am I exploiting my neighbor?
In this system there is God and there is everyone else. Everyone else is my neighbor, and even if they consider themselves my enemy, the proper response is always love. When our response is to label and separate (immigrant, gay, illegal, racist, Republican, Socialist, Millennial, animal, deplorable) we stop viewing others as our neighbor, and excuse ourselves from our responsibility to love them as ourselves. Things were simpler when I was a child and no one said it better than Mister Rogers, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”
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