A Glass Of Wine...

Dear God,

I am craving a funny, intelligent, scintillating conversation like a pregnant woman craves pickles. I haven't had a good conversation in ages. I am in dire need. Have some pity? Please? If I don't have a conversation that fires up my  grey cells any time soon, dear God, I swear, I shall forever be doomed to dumbness. Save me.

Yours devotedly,
A

*****

This is an interesting quiz. But it brings me back to the question, what is "morality"? How do you decide what is right and what is wrong?

You evaluate others relative to your own values. And so exploring what you find fair, honest, or acceptable can help you backtrack to discover the values that sculpt your personality. Read the following story and then rank Robin, Maid Marion, the Sheriff of Nottingham and Little John from most to least moral.

The sheriff of Nottingham has finally caught Robin Hood and Little John! Instead of killing them immediately, he makes the mistake of all storybook villains in simply stashing them in the dungeon. Despite their track record of heroics, there the two benevolent outlaws rot--until Maid Marion shows up pleading her love for Robin and begging for his release. Sure, says the Sheriff, if Marion will sleep with him.

She does. Robin and Little John are released. But when Maid Marion tells Robin the truth of how she earned their freedom, Robin dumps her faster than a leprous leech. Little John defends her behavior and offers his lifelong devotion if she will ride away from Sherwood with him forever.

She does. The end.

What do you think? Who's most right and who's most wrong? 

Should she have slept with the sheriff? No! And then as soon as Robin Hood left her, should she have gone away with Little John? No again I thought. How could she? She loved Robin. She couldn't possibly be happy with anyone else. So I rated MM low. If she truly loved Robin, she should not have left him for Little John.

But then I again I thought about it a little more. It's easy to say things, when we're judging others, much more confusing when you're in the same shoes as them. So if I was Maid Marion and if the guy I loved was in trouble, to what length would I go to save/help him? I probably would sleep with the Sheriff if that meant the guy I loved would be released. Anything? Probably yes. Would I hate it? Obviously I would. But would I do it? I would. It reminds me of "The Gift of Maggi" by O'Henry. You read that story and you feel the love and you wish for such a love. Della had no money to buy a gift for her husband whom she loved so dearly, but she had her beautiful long hair. She loves her hair but she decides to sell the one thing she has so that she can have enough money to buy Jim a gold chain for his gold watch.

In both stories, sacrifices were made. We look at one with disdain and the other with admiration. In one she sells her body, in the other, her hair. Why is one wrong and the other right? Who defines what sacrifices are good and what bad? Can a sacrifice made for the ones you love be bad ever?

Then again, does Maid Marrion's going away with Little John right? I am again confused. She had made clear that she loved RH, to the point that she would do anything for him. Even after that, if he rejects her love, should she pine after him forever? I guess not. If he does not want her, leaves her, why should she still be faithful to him? Why is her then staying with a man who'll lover her and care for her wrong?


I am not concerned with Little John. He seems pretty okay to me on the morality scale. There's a good woman, lonely after Robin Hood rejects her, I guess it's okay if he decides to take care of her as long as she promises to be loyal to him too. So I guess he's okay. Maybe guys would not find it so. There's "bro-code" and stuff. You don't look at your friend's girlfriend/fiancée/wife etc. You treat them like sisters, which I personally, find stupid. Why do you need to go to such lengths as to treat her like your sister, address her thus, if your heart is pure? If your intentions are not wrong? Which again why I don't believe in "rakhi-brothers", but I guess to each its own.


I am truly confused between the Sherwood and Robin Hood. Who's more wrong? Sherwood wants MM, and he's clearly taking advantage of  MM. She's in a spot and in return for a little favour he wants something from her. It's a trade. Give and take. He's wrong in the first place to take advantage of the helpless. But let's replace MM with a guy. Say Robin Hood's father came begging to Sherwood for RH's release. Sherwood in return asks for a bag of cold coins from RH's father. RH's father is poor but he somehow borrows and gathers enough gold coins and gets RH out of the prison. Sherwood still remains wrong, but now his crimes don't seem THAT very wrong. Accepting money in return makes him look like a villian no doubt, but accepting money instead of sexual favours makes him look like a lesser villian. On a scale of 1-10, accepting money would make him look bad at say 5, asking for sexual favours made me immediately rate him 10 on the least moral scale.

So, again, why is asking for money (comparatively) ok but asking for sexual favours so very wrong?

Then RH. I don't understand men. I however get that men don't like the women they love being touched by other men. Same holds true for women. But, if I was MM, imprisoned and if RH had to sleep with the Queen to get me out of the prison, what would my reaction be? I would not question his loyalty toward me and I would probably be crying tears of joy at the fact that here's a man who loves me so much that he would do anything to see me out of pain and trouble. I would probably love him more. Why then would a man reject MM?


I guess the whole argument can be really simplified if you first decide how you want to look at the "body". If you can sell your time to some company for money in return, why is prostitution so bad?

MM, LJ, SN, RH or MM, LJ, RH, SN. Or some other combination? Any thoughts? Go here for the results.


Happy Sunday! :)