The End... And The Beginning

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. - Psalm 2

The establishment of a more just society will always have its detractors. They are usually those interested in keeping things the way they are. They want to do so because they can collateralize their existential insecurities by creating constant imbalances in the lives of others. Their hope is founded in the despair that they breed and cultivate in the life of others.

The prospects of a more equitable world threatens the system of things. And so there will be "rage" against those who seek, through just means, to bring about a more peaceful world. To maintain the status quo, those who want to benefit from it engage in sowing discord among peoples and nations. They do so in order to fill their coffers with the ill-gotten gains of conflict-generation. Their treasure chests are filled at the expense of the flag-draped coffins of those they trick into combat with their fraudulent calls to patriotism.

The establishment of Justice is by no means a parochial event. There is a whole world waiting to be redeemed. It is not the proffered endowment of any “chosen people”. The unrelenting objections and protestations of those who believe and act as if the World owes them preferential treatment will come back to haunt them. This will be the case because of the existential contradictions in their behavior. They ignore the evil tendencies in their own hearts, while they pursue their intentions to raid and steal their neighbors' vineyard as some kind of birthright. This vain  hypocrisy will not endure...

That day will come when the inherent contradictions in the behavior of  the unjust will cause derision and revulsion toward and among them. That day will come when they will be measured by the same judgement they pronounce against others. Against their loud and aggressive protestations, Justice shall prevail; and the "stone" that the builders refused, and berated, shall be its very foundation. The hegemony they assumed will be obliterated. In the end those who resist what is just and right will have to deal with the consequences of their own intransigence.

The just shall inherit the earth.

Let Virtue Abound!

Ralph Waldo Emerson - in one of his many moments of clarity - reminds us that: “The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough”. This insight was as useful in his time as it is now; its veracity being the reason for its durability. In our time the preoccupation with greatness is a major indulgence of certain individuals, groups, and nations. Some want to become great, while some long to have again the greatness they claim has been lost over time via the dilution of cultural and political influences that they perceive as antithetical to their interests. 

At the very core of the assumptions that inform the concept of prominence implicit in the strident rhetoric that serves these interests, is a sense of selfhood that presumes supremacy over those who are seen as somehow inferior by virtue of certain specific cultural indices. Hidden among these are held prejudices about race, skin color, economic dominance, and gender. These prejudices serve to mask the existential insecurities of those who are shaken by the threat of being non-entities in a world where power is perceived in terms of the parading of opulence. That opulence historically is the result of a dynamic of exploitation; the entrenched disenfranchisement of the many by a few whose vices are rationalized by philosophical and institutional devices designed to propagate their interest.

Absent from the consideration of greatness are the deeper issues that cradle the essential viability of the human enterprise. Among these are sound values that underlay community. Ultimately there can be no greatness, individual or otherwise, in isolation. Gestalt makes a valid point - the whole is much more than the sum of its parts. United we stand. Divided we will fall. Any meaningful contemplation of greatness must include precepts that bring us together against the assault of a culture of selfishness. Chief among these precepts is Virtue.

Virtue is defined as: moral goodness; upright living; righteousness. All these values may be expressed as: doing to others as you would have them do to you. Virtue challenges us to lift each other up in the face of circumstances that are down-pressing. Virtue is that light in the darkness. It warms the cold, comforts the afflicted, reassures the frightened, and shows the way to those who may be lost.

Virtue moves us toward each other. It makes us care in a culture where one person’s mis-step or misfortune is treated as nobody else’s concern. Virtue opens our eyes where it is more convenient to be blind. When we care, we align our lives with the cause of Justice. When we align our lives with the cause of justice, we find ourselves in solidarity with the purpose of working to liberate our fellowmen from all circumstances that are dehumanizing.

Virtue calls us to community... to a sense of personal and corporate accountability. This precept challenges us to let our light shine as a guide to others. Unlike the superficial platitudes of those who would exploit others for their own ends... Virtue reminds us that an authentic love is not a function of our simple-minded heroism. An authentic love... a virtuous love... is the real work that we must each do to save ourselves from the despair bred by dysfunctional living. 

If we would be great we must firmly and sincerely point the way to both communal and self-redemption. The cultivation of Virtue is absolutely necessary in each life. Virtuous living is liberating. It is expressed as a state of good health - in a State of good health. Virtue prioritizes Moral health... Physical health... Cultural health... Communal health... National well-being. 

Beyond the putrid rhetoric of a vain nationalism - Let Virtue abound!