The philosopher who composed Ecclesiastes advises us “Do not be over righteous, neither be over wise, why destroy yourself?” (Ecclesiastes 7:16) Accusing others of wrongdoing, especially when there is any chance that we might be mistaken, is almost always folly, and we are likely to have the lens of criticism focused on us as a result. But, there are times when it is appropriate to be assertive in calling someone out. When someone is mistreating us our “moral alarm bells” are usually loud and clear and we should speak up about it. It may take courage to do so, but it usually prevents a lot of future mistreatment. It’s even more important to stand up to bullies and haters when they are picking on someone who is weaker or too timid to stand up for him or herself. Students at Ohio State University and the University of Nebraska recently created web sites intended to “call out” people who posted racist, sexist, or otherwise hateful comments on Twitter and other social media web sites. Courage is central to the moral life because it requires courage to speak up for what is right. But, we should remember also to be circumspect about our criticism. It is often easier to see the speck of dust in your neighbor's eye than the log in your own.
