The Moral Vision
Negligence: A Moral Deficiency
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People are usually aware of big and obvious
dangers, and imagine they must be responsible for
all their misfortunes. But, if the truth were told, the
harm done to us by these tiny living organisms far
surpasses any havoc our bigger enemies can wreak.
Yet, when we come to think of it, the greatest
damage of all is done by those seemingly
insignificant and often short-lived moments of
neglect—moments when timely action was our
duty, when approval needed to be given or
withheld, when advice or help or self-appraisal was
needed, and we let the occasion slip by, heedless of
the consequences. Easygoing negligence can creep
into our souls, like bacteria into the body, and, if not
pulled up short, can become an ingrained attitude,
leading to moral corrosion.
A negligent attitude permits people to fritter away
their time, day after day, with no thought for the
future. Similarly, they squander substantial portions
of their income. This wasted time and pointless
expenditure may seem a trivial matter, if it is just a
question of one day—a few hours and a few rupees
don’t seem to add up to much. But if one were to
calculate the time and money thus wasted in one
