A Developing Argument
I have been slowly ( and hopefully carefully) developing an Opinion. This is different from an opinion - partly because of the capital O, and partly because an opinion is what happens when most people simply open their mouths, while an Opinion requires development, thought, consideration.
So, if you'll bear with me through a bit of quasi-political formulation, I'd like to share what is probably now just an opinion, but what I hope some day will grow a capital O:
I really detest the argument "if/unless X then the terrorists win." Examples include "if we pull out of Iraq now, then the terrorists win," "unless we toughen security measures (meaning things like selective suspension of habeas corpus and torture), the terrorists win," and the ever-popular "unless you go out and spend money you don't have in order to keep the economy artificially inflated, the terrorists win."
What's all this obsession with winning? Since when was winning the goal of life? I thought surviving was the goal? Prospering? Reproducing, even. Habbout maybe doing the right thing could be a goal?
When did we decide to let our collective ego drive the bus?
Pride is a powerful and dangerous motivator. You can make someone do something utterly stupid if you can involve their sense of pride in some way. This is how we got into Iraq, people. This is one reason why we're still there.
What ever happened to being right? Is it just possible, occasionally, that walking away might equal being right? If a bully threatens you, you might be able to tar his ass for him, but would it be right? Or would being right mean walking away?
Perhaps a discussion of Justice vs. Vengeance is in order. I'm thinking that one of those concepts is fueled by Pride.
Have you ever hear the Prayer of St. Francis? It's not the serenity prayer ("God grant me the serenity to accept what I can't change, etc") - it's the one that goes:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
I like it because it's rather ecumenical, and seems to capture in a few lines the surest way to serenity.
If you follow it to its logical conclusion, you can even go so far as to say "rather than kill, let me be killed." Not that I'm particularly fond of being killed (except in a strictly metaphoric sense), but the idea seems to be that killing is SO WRONG that it's better to die than to do it. It's all about passivity and acceptance and Treating Others As You Would Like To Be Treated.
There's no room for ego/pride in this sentiment. The moment you are proud of how pious you are, you've blown it. The only "win" is having done The Right Thing. And sometimes The Right Thing is to swallow your pride and go home.
If you made it this far, you might think that I am of the opinion that we should pull out of Iraq ASAP. This is not the point of my postulation above (in fact, it's not my opinion). I think it's a good argument for why we shouldn't have gone there in the first place, but there's no point in such an argument now.
I'm just talking about where ego and pride get us - which is in trouble, always. And someone trying to get me to do what they want by pushing my ego button is just gonna piss me off.
There - I said it. It's not complete, and I think needs a hell of a lot of polishing and organization, but it's a start.
So, if you'll bear with me through a bit of quasi-political formulation, I'd like to share what is probably now just an opinion, but what I hope some day will grow a capital O:
I really detest the argument "if/unless X then the terrorists win." Examples include "if we pull out of Iraq now, then the terrorists win," "unless we toughen security measures (meaning things like selective suspension of habeas corpus and torture), the terrorists win," and the ever-popular "unless you go out and spend money you don't have in order to keep the economy artificially inflated, the terrorists win."
What's all this obsession with winning? Since when was winning the goal of life? I thought surviving was the goal? Prospering? Reproducing, even. Habbout maybe doing the right thing could be a goal?
When did we decide to let our collective ego drive the bus?
Pride is a powerful and dangerous motivator. You can make someone do something utterly stupid if you can involve their sense of pride in some way. This is how we got into Iraq, people. This is one reason why we're still there.
What ever happened to being right? Is it just possible, occasionally, that walking away might equal being right? If a bully threatens you, you might be able to tar his ass for him, but would it be right? Or would being right mean walking away?
Perhaps a discussion of Justice vs. Vengeance is in order. I'm thinking that one of those concepts is fueled by Pride.
Have you ever hear the Prayer of St. Francis? It's not the serenity prayer ("God grant me the serenity to accept what I can't change, etc") - it's the one that goes:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
I like it because it's rather ecumenical, and seems to capture in a few lines the surest way to serenity.
If you follow it to its logical conclusion, you can even go so far as to say "rather than kill, let me be killed." Not that I'm particularly fond of being killed (except in a strictly metaphoric sense), but the idea seems to be that killing is SO WRONG that it's better to die than to do it. It's all about passivity and acceptance and Treating Others As You Would Like To Be Treated.
There's no room for ego/pride in this sentiment. The moment you are proud of how pious you are, you've blown it. The only "win" is having done The Right Thing. And sometimes The Right Thing is to swallow your pride and go home.
If you made it this far, you might think that I am of the opinion that we should pull out of Iraq ASAP. This is not the point of my postulation above (in fact, it's not my opinion). I think it's a good argument for why we shouldn't have gone there in the first place, but there's no point in such an argument now.
I'm just talking about where ego and pride get us - which is in trouble, always. And someone trying to get me to do what they want by pushing my ego button is just gonna piss me off.
There - I said it. It's not complete, and I think needs a hell of a lot of polishing and organization, but it's a start.