In the Light of Almaty
Hard-liner:
In the light of Almaty,
Now says the smarty
That penalties should be humaner;
But then the hard core
Will steal all the more,
So how is your soft-line saner?
Soft-liner:
Grows our morality
From first fear of penalty
To the maturity of ethical reasoning;
From the 'No!' of parents
To our fellows' forebearance,
It adapts us to communal living.
Hard-liner:
What stabilizes a family,
A company or society,
Is compatibility of members' aims:
A guarantor of co-operation
Is enforcement, not advocation,
A tight ship, a morality of shames.
Soft-liner:
A galley of slaves
Could bring you your raves -
Will their duty not try your conscience?
Or will respect for convention