Sometimes modern perplexities call for ancient wisdom. Today, St. Thomas Aquinas’ warning about the vice of “thoughtlessness” may shine a light on contemporary discourse—if trite prattle even qualifies as discourse. More to the point, we tend to think of the concept of “thoughtlessness,” if we think of it at all, as a kind of mistake; but, for Aquinas, it is an ongoing “vice,” even a “sin.” In both cases it is a serious moral failing, leaving wreckage in its path. Thoughtlessness, according to Aquinas is the habitual failure to take the care, time, and interest necessary for responsible and meaningful speech and behavior.
Here in Georgia, we’ve been the victim of more than our share of simple-minded criticism, whether it concerns baseball, voting, or golf. The empty-headed attacks on Georgia have come from both the right and the left so anyone who thinks bipartisanship is dead, hasn’t been in the Peach State lately.
The stunning success of the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series has provided an opportunity for some to allege that Georgia is a racist state because of the fans’ “tomahawk chop.”
On another front, Delta CEO Ed Bastian joined other woke or awakening executives in attacking Georgia’s voting reforms, although none of them seem to be able to say just why, except that the changes did not reflect their company’s “values.” Bastian issued his condemnation on Wednesday, March 21, 2021, but the previous Friday he had applauded the voting changes. All this virtue signaling is confusing, to be sure.
