The best form of compassion

Gordon Brown does seem reluctant to comment on world events. He said that the release of the Lockerbie bomber was nothing to do with him. Well the British public do look to him for an opinion especially when many other world leaders including President Obama express an opinion. However he has given his opinion about the reception of bomber in Tripoli. This opinion is obviously secondary to an opinion about the release because if there was no release there would be no welcome.

When I hear of calls for capital punishment my first thoughts are that errors may be made and the state executes (murders) an innocent man. The state descends to the level of a criminal but defends itself with "due process". In the case of the Lockerbie bomber there are those who say there is the possibility of wrongful conviction. I don't know whether the conviction was just, but what I do know is that in this case "due process" has placed the state on the moral high ground.

There was no compassion shown to the victims of Lockerbie but this does not mean that we cannot show compassion. I wrote on Sunday about giving and expecting nothing in return. This is genuine giving. If we only show compassion to those who show it to us then it is not true compassion. It is you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Let's hope no deals were done with the Libyan government but let us also hope that we are compassionate people. Compassion is a good attribute which is best shown to those who have not shown it to us.

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