Wisdom

 Words to live by!

Or at least to think about.

An old proverb which is often attributed to Confucius, states we should be careful when we seek vengeance. "Seek revenge and you should dig two graves, one for yourself." This proverb perhaps has it's origins not in China but rather in Japan, "If you call down a curse on any one, look out for two graves", when further interpreted and simplified reminds us that "curses, like young chickens, always come home to roost."

These are valuable words to apply to our lives. Oftentimes when we believe that we have been wronged by someone we will, out of our frail human nature, look for ways to get "even" with the person who offered the offense. This runs counter to the plans of the One who created us. In Romans 12:19-21 we are reminded of what God has said; "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

Life is hard enough for us, why add to the difficulty by seeking that which is not ours to address. John Wayne is quoted as saying "Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." Now to be fair, I am unsure if this can be directly attributed to him, or one of the characters he portrayed. Either way it applies well to the human condition, the problem is determining who among us is stupid, and do we ourselves fall guilty of this accusation.

The reason I chose this particular topic today is because of a certain republican presidential candidate. This individual has vowed to go on a revenge tour if he is reelected to the presidency. And it would appear that he has plenty of others to stand behind him in his quest to right the perceived wrongs committed against him. Hence the quotation attributed to John Wayne.

Winston Churchill in 1948 during an address to the British House of Commons; "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Which is only a slight variance from the George Santayana thought from 1905. In his statement Santayana said that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Again, both of these statements are relevant in today's society simply because of the same group of people. Former world leaders who have sought absolute power and have achieved their goals of eliminating their political opponents, detractors and just anyone who doesn't agree with them on everything. will eventually turn their eyes towards their devout followers whom they believe are seeking to supplant them. The recent call to "haul out the guillotine" should send shivers down the spines of those who live in fear of what this man and his misguided wrath can do.

What, you may ask, makes these statements relevant today? Let's step into the way back machine and have a look at what happened 100 years ago in what was then the recently created "Soviet Union". After the death of Lenin in January of 1924 due to a series of strokes, Joseph Stalin assumed power mostly through force, eliminating his political rivals. Some 13 years after this action the "Great Terror" began. 

During this period of his reign some 700,000 to 1.2 million people were killed. there were 30,000 members of the Red Army executed. The estimate of how many generals and admirals died as a result is listed as 81 of the 103 that were also executed. Ask yourself, how did this action influence the prosecution of the war between the Soviet Union and Germany during WWII? Think about how this will affect our ability to defend our nation should the same thing happen here.

So, for those of you who think you are safe by following your dear leader, guess what, you may not be. If history repeats, as it sometimes does, you too could find yourselves victims of the man whom you so faithfully followed on his rise to power. 

I would like to take this time to remind you all of what George Orwell wrote in his book Animal Farm:  The pigs claimed that "'All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others." This commentary on hypocrisy is very telling in today's society as we have one person who claims to be more equal than others, believing that he is beyond the reach of the rule of law. Still awaiting the determination on this by the supreme court.

Matthew 10:28 says "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  Thanks to my faith in God I have not yet met the man who has made me fearful of dying by his hands. I do not fear for myself, I fear for those who do not fully trust in the Lord for their salvation.

Following a man is pure folly, and those who do so are failing themselves. Where you place your faith and trust often will determine where you are able to spend eternity. Faith in man leads to an eternal death. Faith in God, on the other hand leads to eternal life through our Savior Jesus. Not through anything we as humans can do but through the acceptance of God's grace lest any should boast in the works of his own hands. If we are to boast it should be in the greatness of God who works through us to uplift our fellow man in their times of need.

Just something to think about. Peace?