Got Fire at home, dont call Fireman if you haven't paid your service fee.

Having read an article from TIME which speaks about an incident in Tennessee State, USA I was thinking if it further extends the various moral conflicts the country is already struggling with. The article is about a burning house being left unattended by Fire Officials because the owner didn't paid the annual fire-protection fee of $75 and the three puppies trapped were left to die.

The owner claims to have forgotten to pay the fire protection tax amidst multiple tax payments for current year but I am sure that this issue can be argued well from either side which is clearly demonstrated in the comments section of the article. I wont go to those details and you can have your read of the article here . My attempt here is to express my stand on it.

I hold an opinion that the fire personals should have put-off the fire and charged the Owner 10 times the fee of $75. Any reason to let the house burn and the poor puppies die does not hold good on moral ground. Though what already happened will send a stronger message for those who sponge on others but then if corporal is the way, why teach humility?. There needs to be changes in the law to imbibe such basic facilities as part of one tax and not hundred different taxes where the chances of forgetting is higher than in former.

The ability to forget, sponge on others, go cheap are all human tendencies and majority will fall under this category whose moral ethics comes in second rank to personal/family needs. In solving such cases, political and bureaucratic champions are bound to emerge but rarity is the norm. The willingness for the capitalist to go beyond prescribed duties and act on human grounds will be difficult to digest. In lot of sense capitalism work because it pays for how much you work thereby respecting meritocracy. One problem with Capitalist is people loose focus from quality of life to abundance and there is as a mad rush all the time (God Knows for what.)

Hinduism preaches that it is OK to desire and work for it but craving for more leads to anger and downfall of human life. I support this view and the recent economic meltdown made it more concrete. Buddha has prescribed life of middle path, i.e. anything in moderation. Well I am still grappling with his teaching to imbibe in myself but in few attempts till now, it has worked well. Once I asked my friend Tom L. who is in late Fifties and has definitely seen more world than me, "What is important in Life?. Is it Money or Working for your Passion?" . He responded, "Amit, we need to have a balance.". That answers all.

What's your take on BALANCE? :) Do let us know.

Thank you and Have a Nice day.