Living in the Gray

When I first read this article about the effects
of magnets on the brain in regard to lying, I
had mixed feelings. When I hear things like this,
it makes me wonder if we're on the "right" track.

Of course, "right" is relative, so a case can be
made for anything. A case can be made that anything
can be a good thing for us - whether we like it, or
not, or agree with it, or not. However before I
get too far off the path, let me tell you why I
mention this story today.

Perhaps you've heard of Troy Davis?

He was put to death last night for his conviction
regarding the killing of a police officer. In
reading the details of the case as presented, it
would seem that there was sizeable doubt that he
was, indeed, the one who killed Officer MacPhail.

Troy's case went all the way to the Supreme Court
which, I heard, said that a case had to be made
to prove Troy was not guilty for them to do
whatever they could have to stop the execution.

One of the key things that I had read at one
point was that there were some witnesses who
said they were coerced into lying at the trial.
It turned out that 7 of 9 witnesses ultimately
altered their testimony after Troy's trial.

If there was a way to tell if a person was
lying, a situation in which an innocent man
is convicted of a crime might not occur.

Of course, I have no way of knowing if Troy
was innocent, or not. But it seems to me that
the only thing that said he was guilty was his
trial itself. And since we all know there have
been times in which that has been a faulty process,
might we have given this man more time to see
what else might be found out or considered?

When I look at how mankind can be, it sure
doesn't seem like "kind" is a part of it.
There seem to be so many variables that make
us who we are, and while some are nuisances,
there are others that are deadly.

It is always my desire to look at things in as
affirming way as possible, but realize that there
will always be gray areas. I tend to think it is
how we deal with the gray areas that will tell
us who we really are.

What do you think?

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