I've been doing a lot of reading lately. There seem to be two distinct sets of values that people ascribe too, and have honored in the past.
On the one hand, there is the warrior value of power and glory -- our mighty leader will enter your city wading through rivers of the blood of your sons, accompanied by the wailing of your women. Yeah! That's the ticket!
You see a lot of this in, for example, the old testament. And there is a lot of commentary in the new testament reflecting this type of strong-arm mentality by commentators who, apparently, are stupid and missed the whole point.
On the other hand, there is the way of peace and serenity. Be good to your neighbor, treat people with the respect and honor you would like to receive. This would appear to be the message of Jesus, though goodness knows you have to pick through the writings to find it. It is also the message of many other spiritual leaders.
So, does your culture honor Jesus, Buddha, or one of the other peacemakers? Or are your heroes bloody heroes, whose honor comes through violence?
There is a third way, of course, of justice and balance. This is like the way of peace, but allows for defense of life and some other warrior attributes... the peaceful warrior. I wonder if this way has been properly explored? I'm sure it must have been...
Posted by Edwin at June 23, 2004 08:37 AM