This is a quote from John Adams, by David McCullough. My friend
Barb
I'm currently reading Three Cups of Tea which is about fighting a war against ignorance and poverty. It's about not giving those who would inflame hatred a foothold. It seems to me that the first part of John Adams quote could apply here, without having to resort to the second half of the quote.
It seems to me that most people, men and woman, long to be heroic and virtuous. At the same time we want to feel safe and comfortable. Most of the time safe and comfortable trumps heroic and virtuous. When a war comes along safe and comfortable are thrown out the window any way and to get them back we have to be heroic and virtuous.
I think the reason that most people don't feel drawn into a "fight" against poverty or disease or some other desperation is because we don't feel our own lives or liberties hanging in the balance like we might during a war on our home soil.
So, if we could somehow change the view of things, that "their" fight really is our fight, that people outside of our comfort zone are our neighbors, then we would feel unsafe and/or uncomfortable and we would rise to be heroic and virtuous.
2 comments:
I once read somewhere that if we could sit down with our opponents over a meal, then basically, we would become neighbors and friends. To me, this seems a powerful thought, and, in a sense, it is what happens in Three Cups of Tea. The current situation in Israel has me pondering wars, politics, and the Christian Way even more . . .
I'm pretty sure that's the whole point. of life. of God's way of doing life. to live in such as way that others' pain is our pain and others' joy is our joy. To not see the world so much a collection of individuals as one body. when one part hurts the whole body does too. when one part rejoices, the whole body rejoices with it.
and then there will be no more war
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