Grappling with Gray

So I'm about to get a little philosophical. I know, scary. I warn you now so that you can push your back button feverishly or just x out all together. Otherwise, here goes nothing:

In a couple of my classes we've been discussing "gray areas" a lot. I know it's a relatively simple concept, but I suppose my views regarding what's black and white and what's gray are changing these days. I know, I know, nothing is black and white, but to most people there are at least a few issues that they would view staunchly right or wrong, and would have serious trouble even trying to delve deeply into the other perspective. For example, I know that stealing is wrong. In my mind I feel that, ethically, there is no excuse for it. Even people who say they have no other means usually have other minimal, be it bare, options and there are plenty of organizations out there to help. In that same vane, people who steal when they don't need to, like the infamous Enron executives, have no possible legitimate defense. They stole out of greed and chose to maintain (if not expand) a life of excess by robbing their own employees of all they had. See, pretty cut and dry....

But... I wasn't there when they decided to blatantly make up accounts to prevent people from finding out how much they were losing. I am by no means condoning their behavior, but from my perspective I have absolutely no understanding of what makes people do things that I don't agree with. Maybe they didn't understand the gravity of their actions or maybe they were so consumed in their own affairs that they didn't consider what would happen to their employees. Maybe they did, but were so hardened by the gap between themselves and the masses with far less means that they had grown to view them with less concern. Maybe they are just that evil. I don't know, and I never will, but my point is that I am starting to realize that upon first hearing about an event or disaster it is becoming more and more difficult to just peg something as right or wrong. A kid got murdered-that's terrible, no doubt. A suicide bomber killed hundreds-that is sickening. Yet, we never stop and think "what drove this to happen?" George W. Bush refused to "compromise" with terrorists and many applauded him for that, but figuring out what we are doing to make them so bent on destroying us is a much better investment than just doing the same right back. Compromising and empathizing are extremely different things. We are all human beings with innate feelings of (at least moderate) sympathies and desire not to hurt others. It is the people who were molded and hardened in a certain way who do the terrible things beyond our realm of understanding. I do not mean to say that everyone is capable of only good and gets turned otherwise, but I truly believe that those who wish harm on others were brought to that point from some other influence.

Alright, that's it. Not a sermon, just a thought.
Peace