Escalating Madness
We live in a pretty insane world.
Massacre after massacre, war after war. One group of extremists seeks retribution for something another group did to them 30 years ago, which by an unbreaking chain was as a result of someone being wronged many years before that. It becomes so screwed up that the people who commit many of these atrocities don't even really know why they are doing it, apart from a hatred that has been instilled in them from an early age, and most of which is traced back to some act generations before them. We live in a world of ungrace, whereby as someone is wronged, they feel that they must seek justice and revenge. It is something as simple as this which starts this chain of misery that passes down many generations.
I believe the only way to counter this ungrace, is by its opposite - grace. It seems to me that forgiveness is the only solution to this kind of ongoing conflict. All it takes is for someone to give up their inbuilt pride and hatred, and say sorry. It doesn't even matter if they weren't the ones that started it. But forgiveness goes against all human instinct - it requires a huge personal effort.
Think of the wars in Yugoslavia, Ireland, Korea, and even the United States.
Conflicts started many years earlier have continued a chain of ungrace well beyond the issue and origin of the conflict. We live in a world which constantly seeks for retribution and justice. But forgiveness has its own extraordinary power which reaches beyond law and beyond justice. People don't understand forgiveness. Our very nature tells us to strike back at those who hurt us. But the only way to get past this, is to rise to something greater than that - the amazing healing force of forgiveness which breaks the cycle of ungrace.
There is one major flaw in revenge: it never settles the score.
"Forgiveness may be unfair, but at least it provides a way to halt the juggernaut of retribution."
posted by Jared at 9:06 pm
6 Comments:
Good stuff Jesus blogger.
I've restarted up my blog (follow the link from my profile).
2:44 pm
That is sweet. Well said. You should write more.
3:26 pm
hey dude i didn't realise you have a blog, well written stuff
I fully agree man the prime example is Israel / Palestine. The jews were given land by the british and french (even although someone else owned the land) and ever since there has been conflict. But what is the solution; Israel CANNOT be wiped off the map, as extremists suggest, where would the jews go Israel is home. in the same way the palestinians need a home. but no one will forgive and take the first step of compromising so the killing continues.
The EU is the prime example. it was built on the forgiveness of the french after WWII. instead of keeping the defeated Germans, their enemies, down they helped them rebuild and then formed the European Union around that. an interesting thought
Keep up the hard work cuz, wiked to see the photo of baptism ive got one on my wall as well. we have a community of believers we gotta keep each other strong
2:21 am
Yep, fair enough point pie. As u say, it's human nature to get up on someone else. But I still make the point that any form of peace that has come about in the world, has happened because someone has admitted that it's madness, and has said sorry.
Does fighting a war based on empty revenge really have more point to it than starvation? I do see what ur saying, but what point is there in dying so that more people will die to avenge your death?
7:55 pm
Hmm…warfare…and grace. I agree with what you have said in that warfare and conflict lead to a state of ungrace and as such are something to be avoided. Most cultures, with perhaps the exception of the Somalis have truths against fighting or feuding. The Odyssey ends with a blood feud being stopped through divine intervention. The Bible teaches to turn the other cheek and forgive and love one’s neighbour. Native American folklore tells of how people grow apart and then come together again as do rivers. The list goes on, and yet many cultures also teach societal revenge as a means of unification.
Your point that forgiveness goes against human instinct is key. It is easy to point to an ideal from a distance, harder from up close and harder still for it to gain favour whilst one’s entire context is defined by it. History shows, in addition to the multitude of examples listed above, that many groups who hold grace as an ideal often supplant it with “just war” when the time of conflict is at hand.
I hold that it comes down to personal choice, as that is what we are called to respectfully observe. How we embody our beliefs, be they atheism, Christian or whatever they may be conveys a sense of who we are. I like to think of Telemachus, a fifth century Asian monk who buggered off into the desert to live alone to be pure. After a while he didn’t feel like what he was doing was right and went on a long trek to Rome. When he arrived there, the games were in full swing, hardly surprisingly. He walked in and saw some gladiators fighting and wasn’t impressed at all. In fact he leapt over and pleaded with them to stop for “the love of Christ.” The crowd stoned him to death as he pissed them off. Telemachus embodied his faith and was killed for it. Later in remorse the crowd sought an end to the games, and the Emperor decreed them over some days later, three would be symbolic, though unlikely.
Whilst this topic is hardly exhausted through this post and its comments, I am! It’s a very interesting issue and one in which the ideal is clear, though the practicalities are difficult.
6:23 pm
Hey mate, thanks heaps for that comment. Very interesting thoughts. I've heard that story about the monk - very powerful!
I was absolutely writing this post with from an idealistic point of view. I realise that this kind of thing will only come about in rare circumstances.
With reference to your point about cultures who hold grace highly, and who look to the wars they take part in as being "justification" (maybe USA would be an example), I think of the contrast between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, God was seen to condone many of the wars that took place. This is in stark contrast with the New Testament, where, as you say, Jesus taught us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. But as you say, it is always so much harder when u are actually in the situation to uphold these values. Very tough one
6:51 pm
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