Sympathy for the innocent and the guilty

Yesterday's train accident in Studénka, which caused three deaths and 17 injuries, evokes deep feelings of sympathy from those among us who are capable of having compassion for strangers. There are legitimate doubts about whether many members of our political and business elite are capable of such compassion, given their emphasis on personal or corporate profit at any cost. The chief blame in yesterday's accident resides with the truck driver, but we should also feel pity for him and others like him, because they're the product of a corporate system that demands that drivers maintain strict delivery schedules or face penalties. Under such a system, an accident, injury or death is seen by the company as a cost of doing business. Delivery services including Česká pošta, DHL, Office Depot and UPS have some of the worst offenders on the roads, and anyone who drives for them is running the risk of also one day causing a tragedy.