Jesus, an Upstander, and Me By Michelle Jesus An Upstander Me Reign of God David Cash Case Study Morality Why is it Important? Jesus' central message was preaching the reign of God. It's open to everyone yet not everyone knows what it is. (Reign of God, Oct 3, 2008) Why is it important? Why is it Important? Morality consists of a set of values and principles that guide our choices to determine what kind of people we are. It has to do with the way we live our lives and challenges us to think about values and principles. (Christian Morality, Jan 9, 2009) Most people see the reign of God as a big, happy castle way up in the sky when in reality, it is not a place, but an experience. These people spend their whole life searching for where the reign of God is located. However, they need to learn that the reign of God is right in front of their eyes. Glimpses of the reign of God are present in our very own daily lives. Although the reign of God is open to everyone, not all people know what it is or fully understand how to get there. God gives us glimpses of the reign of God in society today. However, many people overlook these glimpses as minor things. For example, God shows us a piece of the reign of God when we see friends caring for each other and loving one another. It could also be displayed when community service is done out of love for all of human kind and not only done because one is forced to do it. In this clip, a girl is moving away from her big city life to a new home on the countryside. Before she leaves, she takes her final walk around the city and gathers her last memories. Can you relate this clip to the reign of God? When I saw this clip, I noticed how all of the memories she was collecting were glimpses of the reign of God. As she strolled through the city streets, She had a smile plastered on her face. She did not rush through the sidewalks to reach a destination like most people do today. She took time out of her life to look at the little simple things all around her like children playing in a park or the warm feeling she felt inside a bakery. She realizes that the reign of God is not a place, but an experience. Therefore, she is not afraid as she moves to another city because she knows that God will still be there and she will find even more glimpses of his reign. So what does that have to do with me? "He was just an innocent bystander, he says. A bystander who peered over the top of a toilet stall and discovered - in the women's rest room of a casino on the California-Nevada border - his best friend Jeremy Strohmeyer, 18, struggling with a seven-year-old girl. He tapped his friend's head, he says, knocking off his hat, but couldn't get him to stop. So David Cash Jr. decided to take a walk." (The Bad Samaritan, Sept 7, 1998) This case study is important because it makes us question, should bystanders be punished? This topic is clearly open for debate, but I believe David Cash should be punished in this case. By being a bystander, he indirectly shows that he is okay with what Jeremy did. Aside from debating over whether or not bystanders should be punished, this case study also makes us wonder what we would do in David's situation. Would we jump right in the middle and stop Jeremy? would we call the cops to arrest our best friend? Would we be too shocked and afraid to take one step? Or would we run away just like David did? This case study ties in with our Universe of obligation. If we include everyone in our universe of obligation, we feel compelled to help all those who need it. If everyone expands their universe of obligation to include all living things and not only their close family and friends, there would be many more upstanders in this world. Without upstanders, there would be no change. Our world would be filled with corruption and no one would have the courage to do anything about it. How would you feel if you were Sherrice Iverson (the girl who Jeremy murdered)? Would you not want someone to step up and save your life? For this reason, it is necessary to expand our views and stretch our universe of obligation so that tragedies like this do not occur again. So what does that have to do with me? So what does that have to do with me? As we grow older and older, morality, too, grows with us. As a child, our parents form most of our morals. They tell us to be kind to others, share with our friends, not cheat, etc. As we grow up into our teenage years, our morals may change. We begin to make our own choices and wonder what morals we believe in and which we do not. At this stage, not all of our morals come from our parents. We are capable of thinking for ourselves. However, we are still new to this and need help from others such as parents, teachers, and friends. Finally, in the adult stage of morality, we have spent years and years thinking about who we are as a person and have figured out our morals and beliefs. For the most part, we can think and act on our own, but a little help here and there from others is appreciated. Everyone has a set of morals. However, they differ between different people. It is important to understand that not everyone may believe the same things as you do. For examples, some cultures strongly enforce the belief of arranged marriages. However, people from other cultures may strongly disagree with that belief and say that marriage should be between two people who love each other. Although people have conflicting morals, it is best to share your morals with one another to understand each other better. This way, no misunderstandings are resulted and we all take one step closer to being united and coming together in peace. In this clip, a girl is faced with a moral decision. A cute boy she really likes is a smoker! What will she do? At the beginning, we see Janet looking at her options and trying to make a decision. We then find out that she likes a boy that is a smoker. Because one of her morals is against smoking, she is unsure of what to do. Janet still wants to date him but smoking is a big drawback for her. She also confronts her friend about it to ask for advice. This shows that she is in the teenage stage of morality. Janet has been raised to not smoke, but is now unsure of whether or not she should enforce that moral so strongly. In the end, Janet becomes an upstander and confronts the boy about her dilemma. Janet tells him how she feels about smokers and a happy ending results.