[Buddha-l] Ethics and the four way test

[Jim Peavler]

On Mar 14, 2005, at 11:57 AM, Hal Cooper wrote:

>

> This also plays out in the bully scenario.  If a  bullie is picking on 
> the
> unpopular kid should you stand up for the unpopular kid at the risk of
> getting beat up too?

What if you beat the bully up? This turns out to be more satisfying 
than merely "protecting" the weakling, and is more dangerous to one as 
a moral/ethical issue. Protecting a weak person seems to have no 
obvious dark side, whereas the thrill and attractiveness of hurting the 
"bad guy" puts one into a moral dilemma. Which brings up the question: 
Are the strong vulnerable to more ethical/moral challenges than the 
weak?