The greatest trick the devil ever pulled... Well, it is almost time for me to leave the pages of the Daily. With qualifying and oral examinations coming up, time has suddenly become a precious commodity. This week marks the 26th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in the United States. Multitudes will celebrate Roe v. Wade throughout the week. On our campus, the pro-choice militia will be out and about spreading its propaganda. They'll be toasting the right to kill. They'll be celebrating the right to "choose" wrong. If you were pro-life and wanted to explain your position to an abortion rights advocate, how would you do it? How would a pro-choice activist get his or her view accepted by someone who values the right to life? I don't think it can be done. They're like oil and water. Not only don't they mix; they have totally different chemical compositions. Pro-choice and pro-life are not two sides of the same coin. Conversion from one to the other requires a radical change of world view. It requires the rejection of one set of life rules and adoption of an entirely contradictory set. One set of rules has been held by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Ghandi, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus. You know these people. Four are saints and the other is God. In a recent national poll, Mother Theresa was named as the most admired figure of the 20th Century. The Mahatma was pretty awesome and this week, we celebrate King's commitment to life. People like Al Gore, President Clinton, Madonna, Jane Fonda and many other moral philosophers in Hollywood hold the other set of rules. Real model human beings. I've always wanted to be like a movie star. They always seem to have their lives together. I guess all those trips to rehab help out. I don't think I need to highlight the selflessness and moral character of these misguided ones. Many think that abortion is one of the greatest problems that society faces. More than a problem, I see it as a symptom. It is the latest symptom of the disease that threatens to take over all our lives. It is the cough that spreads the virus. The virus is Evil. All around us, evil forces bombard us with negative images of life and society. Gluttony, pride, lust, avarice, wrath, sloth and envy permeate our music, television and reading. What do we all want? We want to be big shots. We want to be famous. We want people to think we're cool. We want money. We want nice cars. We want lots of beautiful women. We want to pay back everyone who screwed us. Evil forces want us to want the best for ourselves. Only in self-centered existence can evil insure that the maximum number of us get screwed. The seven deadly sins are alive and well. Movies are made about them. Jerry Springer celebrates them. You see, in order to convert the pro-choice to the pro-life, the person must forget about himself or herself. The seven deadly sins must be replaced by the seven virtues. A person whose thoughts and actions spring from the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity can do no wrong. From these virtues flow the moral virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. Have you ever heard of these? The number of people who don't recall the seven virtues, but know the vices by heart often surprises me. If as many people attended seminars on virtues as do attend seminars about making money, I think the world would be a better place. Remember these words of King. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction ..." The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. -Mike Lopez can be reached over e-mail at manatlarge@umich.edu. Mike Lopez Man At Large Originally on page 4A in the 1-19-2000 issue of the Daily.