Just because a man has a fixed belief, does not mean it is right.
A man has the duty to follow through with a choice of action regarding his convictions in case the opposite of his belief could still occur.
If a man does not follow through with a choice of action regarding his convictions, and the opposite does occur, he would not be right.
This argument he makes is sound and valid. It is valid because the conclusion follows the premises. The premises are true and the conclusion is also true, making the argument sound. If a person makes the decision to send army troops into war for a cause, they must believe in that cause very much because they are taking into account the lives of many men. If the person has not done the proper research behind their cause, and it turns out they had wrong information, it does not matter how much they believe it. That person would still be very wrong for making a decision on their beliefs without taking the proper action to investigate if the opposite of their beliefs were true. A Netflix series titled “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” tells the story of a young boy who died at the hands of his parents due to severe long-term abuse. Three trials took place for this occurrence, one for the mom, the boyfriend, and for the social workers involved who failed him. It is a rarity for social workers to be charged for the death of one of the children in their caseload. This case specifically relates to Clifford’s argument because the social workers ignored obvious signs against their fixed belief that the child was not at risk of death. They took the word of Gabriel’s mother every time someone was sent out to check on the him, because it is a core belief for the department of social services to protect the family unit at all costs unless their is an extreme risk of death. They ignored the extreme signs of severe physical abuse and they did not go the extra mile to investigate because they were blinded by their own beliefs and ways. When Gabriel Fernandez passed away, the mother, the boyfriend, and the social workers involved were all charged with his death. The social workers had numerous opportunities to step in and save him, but they ignored the signs and the opposite of what they expected to happen came true, making them at fault.
We can all relate to the social workers at least in a less serious case. We have all made mistakes because we valued our own fixed belief so much we did not care to investigate further to make sure our belief is fair and equal. This happens often in politics. A lot of people hold such strong beliefs in politics that mask their ability to listen to other ideas. Of course, some people’s ideas are crap, and we do not have to agree with everything. But it is very important to allow yourself to have open ears so that you as an individual do not get yourself caught up in a situation similar to the social workers on Gabriel Fernandez’s case. Going the extra mile to ensure that something negative won’t turn out because of your decisions is what Clifford is trying to express. We all are held accountable for our shortfalls in the end, no matter how much we prepared for what we expected to happen. If the unexpected happens and we are not prepared, that could result in a grave mistake we are responsible for.
Published by ginam0
My name is Gina, I am 18 years old and this is my second semester of college. I was born in Sacramento and have lived out my life in my tiny two bed/ two bath east sac home with my two sisters and parents. In most ways, I grew up very fortunate. My mom dedicated herself to her work with the Los Rios District so that she could provide a comfortable life for her children, something she lacked as a child. I was lucky enough to attend private elementary and high school; I went to Christian Brothers. I don't like to view myself as a victim in any way because I truly was given so many opportunities that many people do not receive growing up. However, one of the biggest obstacles that I had to overcome came after my transition from middle school to high school. I faced a lot of bullying my freshman year. I had always been a little bit sheltered due to my private elementary background, I had only ever gone to school with about 35 other kids from kindergarten-8th grade. A certain freshman boy showed interest in me, and did not take it well when I rejected him in a decent manner. Before the school year had even started, he spread a rumor about me preforming sexual acts with him. At the time of the incident, this really broke me down. Other guys would meet me for the first time, and while still being 'friendly' towards me, would bring up the rumor or joke about it to get a reaction from me. Some girls looked at me differently, and this rumor felt like I carried a sign above me everywhere I went or that I was under a microscope. I had never even remotely come close to being with another person before this incident. I cared a lot about what people thought of me, and this created a negative self-image. I was also very small at the time (both my parents are small, my mom was small when she was young, and my sisters and I all were very small as kids), and multiple other boys made jokes about my body in front of me, and one (another reject) even posted a comment about me being "flat" on his snap chat story. The hardest part for me throughout all of this was not having an adult or anyone wiser than I to talk to. Both of my parents are loving, but out of touch. I never have had a strong enough relationship with either of them to bring up this embarrassing situation I had gotten into, and for the first few months I believed I brought it upon myself by even being friends with the guy who started it all. Especially when I kind of knew he had different intentions than I did. I think overcoming this obstacle really helped me grow into a smarter, happier person. I stopped desiring to erase the rumor or revise my reputation, I just learned to accept myself for who I knew I was, and be happy with the people around me who loved me. I felt free from judgement because I simply learned to not care anymore about what people thought of me. Eventually by doing this, the bullies caught the hint too. I think this is one of my biggest triumphs because learning to accept yourself is a huge part of becoming an adult and accomplishing your dreams. I also am proud that I survived the bad high school experience on my own and by the end of it, turned it into a good one. I learned to trust myself, be more independent, and confident. My biggest passion in life right now is to complete my degree and live out a loving life. I want to be happy and surround myself with the right people. Creating a family and surrounding my kids with love is my biggest passion in life.
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