From: bi_kin@uxmail.ust.hk (HoiFung JACK @>-`)
Subject: Re: Genetics/PMS/Midlife crisis
Organization: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 07:59:18 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.164450.28278@athena.mit.edu> siu@athena.mit.edu (Olivia I Siu) writes:
[lines deleted...]
>
>I think this is one of the society taboos that should be completely 
>overthrown.  Blaming one's acts on the HORMONES, or the GENETICS
>of human, is a disgraceful excuse in explaining one's faults.
>One has to be responsible for one's acts no matter what state one
>is in, even if it's caused by physical and genetic constraints.
>
>Let me make an illustration.  A professor of mine once told us about
>a seminar she attended.  In the lecture, a male director lectured about
>how women should not be placed in some decision making post of a company, 
>his reason being that the hormonal cycle of women causes them to act 
>irrationally at times and make bad or wrong decisions.  So, this guy 
>was saying that women can't make rational decisions during what
>is now termed at PMS.  A female geneticist stood up and demonstrated that
>men also have hormonal cycles, which occurs every four days throughout
>the men's lives.  So, corresponding to the director's suggestions that
>women were not qualified on particular positions in a company due to
>their PMS, the geneticist asked if men should be completely eradicated
>from the world of business because of their 4-day cycles!!! 
>The director was speechless.
>
>"Mid-life crisis" is also part of the idea that a man around their 40s
>or 50s can throw away his responsibilities to his family, and
>find a young girl to "release his frustrations of life" and "find himself".
>Such an inexcusable act is already disgraceful; imagine such an act to be
>defended by an absurd excuse from respectable, educated people?!?!?!!?!?
>In the same way, neither should women be blamed for their emotions due
>to the so called PMS, nor should women use it as an excuse to have
>bad temper.
>
>My conclusion is a human being is intelligent enough to be responsible
>for his/her own acts, without finding some "term" as an excuse to 
>justify their irresponsible acts.  Such reasoning is illogical.
>
>Olivia

Fully agree with your assertion.
But i have an imperfect idea, can responsibility towards oneself be
always at the same side of responsibility towards the other people?
Let's not take it as an "excuse" matter at this moment, how about the
situation that there is serious conflict between these two kinds of
responsibilty?
What is the criteria of consideration? Quantity or Quality?
  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
  * *       |/                                                    * *
  * *      /| []T[]_|_   " Deepest and Highest....... "           * * 
  * *       |  _|_==|                                             * *
  * *       | /   \ |                                             * *
  * *      /|\\___//|\                        HoiFung JACK -'<@   * *
  * *                                                             * *
  * *                               Email:  bi_kin@uxmail.ust.hk  * *
  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *