The Prodigal Son

[I_am_not_mafia]

I hate the implication that is sometimes made that we are all basically psycopaths, and need religion to keep us leashed. Some people really believe that about themselves.

When someone tells you that, make a mental note of it in your future dealings with them because they are probably a psychopath and will screw you over in some way not covered by the morality they have been taught.

[Thumpalumpacus]

So, anyone got five bucks? I need a pack of smokes.

[Brian37]

Several thoughts

- The father's reaction is understandable and justified. His one son was obviously not fit to lead the business, and while he squandered a lot of money, it was, effectively, invested in his becoming a better, responsible person through life experience, which can arguably be more important than the money lost and pay off manifold in the future

- What a sucky job where you have to tend to the swine, but don't even get food in return? That's just ridiculous. I'm sure he could have gotten a better one *somewhere*.

- It is really difficult to raise several children with very different characters and keep everything fair and balanced, and envy at bay. Ideally, the brother who stayed home loves his brother so much that he, too, will be in a mood to celebrate once done with the butt-hurt. Also, it's not like he doesn't get a nice piece of the fattened calf once he joins the partey.

I give the story a 7/10. Today it seems a bit trite, but I guess back in the day it was a innovative idea not to kill everyone over the dispute.

I don't think the prodigal so has learned anything about responsibility.
He wasted his inheritance on prostitutes and fun. couldn't even negotiate a job that gave him enough food to live without feeling like he was starving to death, ran back home looking for work but instead got more freebies.

The story does leave out some details like how long the son was working in the swine farm and what happened after the celebration, but I think in general the brother has a good right to be annoyed.
He's not annoyed that the brother is getting the celebration exactly, he's annoyed that the other brother basically spent a gap year in a town full of prostitutes while he had to slave away in the fields.

Frivolous spending +  failed negotiations + quiting your first job to run home and grab some more freebies won't equal learning to be responsible.

I hate this mentality. It isn't that anyone should advocate everyone be poor or addicts, but that this mentality leads to society doing the worst possible thing to those with theses issues and causes us to do the most expensive things that yield the least results. It creates the very things like a caste system like India has. It enables poverty and demonizes those with issues. Then we put non violent people in violent prisons which causes them to be dumped out even worse off than when they went in.

It also causes people who really want help to be paranoid to the degree they don't ask for it. It is irresponsible to demonize those with problems. Instead we should be addressing the totality of economic issues that lead people to end up in those positions. "Fuck you I got mine" doesn't help society. 

The best charity humans can give is investment, especially in better worker pay, and ditching the idea that it is the worker's job simply to drive their health into the ground not having a life outside work.

[Brian37]

And there is no such thing as a "sucky job", there are only judgmental people who look down on others because they think a job is beneath them. The only really "sucky" thing about any job is lack of livable wages.

[paulpablo]

I don't think the prodigal so has learned anything about responsibility.
He wasted his inheritance on prostitutes and fun. couldn't even negotiate a job that gave him enough food to live without feeling like he was starving to death, ran back home looking for work but instead got more freebies.

The story does leave out some details like how long the son was working in the swine farm and what happened after the celebration, but I think in general the brother has a good right to be annoyed.
He's not annoyed that the brother is getting the celebration exactly, he's annoyed that the other brother basically spent a gap year in a town full of prostitutes while he had to slave away in the fields.

Frivolous spending +  failed negotiations + quiting your first job to run home and grab some more freebies won't equal learning to be responsible.

I hate this mentality. It isn't that anyone should advocate everyone be poor or addicts, but that this mentality leads to society doing the worst possible thing to those with theses issues and causes us to do the most expensive things that yield the least results. It creates the very things like a caste system like India has. It enables poverty and demonizes those with issues. Then we put non violent people in violent prisons which causes them to be dumped out even worse off than when they went in.

It also causes people who really want help to be paranoid to the degree they don't ask for it. It is irresponsible to demonize those with problems. Instead we should be addressing the totality of economic issues that lead people to end up in those positions. "Fuck you I got mine" doesn't help society. 

The best charity humans can give is investment, especially in better worker pay, and ditching the idea that it is the worker's job simply to drive their health into the ground not having a life outside work.

My mentality is that spending money on prostitutes, not sticking to your job then going home and getting more freebies doesn't teach people responsibility.
I'm not saying he was wrong to go back to his father, I'm saying no lesson was learned here.
So far the only experience this son has is how to buy the services of a prostitute with money he sponged off his father, followed by a job he didn't stick to, followed by running back home to daddy for a free meal.
His other son might have learned the value of hard work, but instead now all he's learned from his father is that he can also most likely go out and squander money on hookers with no consequences.

Actually just let me clarify and correct one point. I shouldn't say he definitely hasn't learned any responsibility, maybe something happened along the way of this story that has changed his attitude, but there's nothing apparent there to be learned from.

[lisah]

I had a Christian explain that story to me as a story that affirmed his belief that Jesus and Satan were brothers and that Satan is the prodigal son in the story.

I don't know how common a belief that is, but it was his belief.

That's Mormonism

I thought he was using creative license (of sorts), not knowing very much about Mormon's. Although, he never mentioned being Mormon.

[Alex K]

And there is no such thing as a "sucky job", there are only judgmental people who look down on others because they think a job is beneath them. The only really "sucky" thing about any job is lack of livable wages.

The lack of even a minimal wage is obviously what I was referring to when calling it a sucky job.