The quality of mercy
Happy Palm Sunday, everyone! I just got home after walking my friend to the railway station. It's still snowing today, but I guess it won't keep up... We had a nice day just talking and playing the piano a little. I showed my awesome account on goodreads, which is taking up way too much of my time:). But I've found lots of interesting books to read, and I think a great many of them are available in Finland, in original or translated versions. It's nice to have something to look forward to in that respect.
As I said yesterday,
I'm going to write about mercy today, and the latin word for it is CLEMENTIA. The most impressive secular quotation about the power of mercy that I can think of comes from Schindler's list:
Oskar Schindler: Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.
Amon Goeth: You think that's power?
Oskar Schindler: That's what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he's brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down on the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he's going to die. And the Emperor... pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go.
Amon Goeth: I think you are drunk.
Oskar Schindler: That's power, Amon. That is power.
Mercy, when you think about it, is one of the most powerful things there are. In Finland, as well as in most countries, I think, the president is the only person who has the power to grant amnesty. Even if a criminal has been sentenced by the Supreme Court of Finland, the president has the power to go beyond the law and grant pardon. Mercy isn't granted by merit: it's by its very nature something that looks past the law and sees the failing human instead.
I find it difficult to show mercy to myself, though it's easy to show it to others. I think there are two opposite reasons for this. The obvious one is that I'm mercilessly critical of my faults, and that I want to not have any. Yes, that's working out great for me, thanks for asking;). The other reason is that I'm not humble enough. There can't really be mercy if there is no "crime", however small, because mercy is looking beyond the fault, after admitting that there is a fault to look beyond. I think I'm uncomfortable admitting that something I do is a big deal, a real fault, and I always have excuses. I know I'm not the only one doing this, so I try to look it squarely in the eye, but it is a stumbling-block. And that's where the grace of God comes in, if you believe. Since He isn't blind to our faults, He can show mercy...
Like all the virtues, mercy takes a great deal of maturity. It's about dealing kindly with people, at the very moment when they do something wrong. It's about being kinder than you have any reason to be, and about not abusing the power you have over others, whether it be a spouse, children, employees or group members. Like other virtues, it too stems from self-respect, which leads to respect for others. And maybe you can't really understand its power and quality before someone shows it to you.
Holy Week is upon us and it's almost Easter! I look forward to reintroducing cheese and meat and yoghurt to my daily menu:). I had a hamburger today, because it's a feast day, after all, but cheese is the food I miss most, every single Lent. You'd think I would tire of it, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe next year...
By the way, do any of you happen to know good novels or non-fiction books about the American Civil War, that would describe the war from the Yankee point of view? I feel my take on American society and history is being skewed, because I only read about things from the Confederate angle. I mentioned it to my friend today, and we talked about how the Finnish Civil War of 1918 was more commonly treated from the winners', aka the White point of view. It wasn't even really the done thing for decades to put flowers on the unmarked graves of the Reds who were executed. It would probably have been healthier to talk things over, but they thought it easier to shut up. By the way, please, please remember that I am Finnish, and I wasn't involved on either side of the American Civil War in any way, that I only know about it from reading a little in school, and watching movies and reading GWTW. I don't have any personal opinions about the whole tragic business, but I would like to learn more.
Have a great week, see you tomorrow!
As I said yesterday,
I'm going to write about mercy today, and the latin word for it is CLEMENTIA. The most impressive secular quotation about the power of mercy that I can think of comes from Schindler's list:
Oskar Schindler: Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.
Amon Goeth: You think that's power?
Oskar Schindler: That's what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he's brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down on the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he's going to die. And the Emperor... pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go.
Amon Goeth: I think you are drunk.
Oskar Schindler: That's power, Amon. That is power.
Mercy, when you think about it, is one of the most powerful things there are. In Finland, as well as in most countries, I think, the president is the only person who has the power to grant amnesty. Even if a criminal has been sentenced by the Supreme Court of Finland, the president has the power to go beyond the law and grant pardon. Mercy isn't granted by merit: it's by its very nature something that looks past the law and sees the failing human instead.
I find it difficult to show mercy to myself, though it's easy to show it to others. I think there are two opposite reasons for this. The obvious one is that I'm mercilessly critical of my faults, and that I want to not have any. Yes, that's working out great for me, thanks for asking;). The other reason is that I'm not humble enough. There can't really be mercy if there is no "crime", however small, because mercy is looking beyond the fault, after admitting that there is a fault to look beyond. I think I'm uncomfortable admitting that something I do is a big deal, a real fault, and I always have excuses. I know I'm not the only one doing this, so I try to look it squarely in the eye, but it is a stumbling-block. And that's where the grace of God comes in, if you believe. Since He isn't blind to our faults, He can show mercy...
Like all the virtues, mercy takes a great deal of maturity. It's about dealing kindly with people, at the very moment when they do something wrong. It's about being kinder than you have any reason to be, and about not abusing the power you have over others, whether it be a spouse, children, employees or group members. Like other virtues, it too stems from self-respect, which leads to respect for others. And maybe you can't really understand its power and quality before someone shows it to you.
Holy Week is upon us and it's almost Easter! I look forward to reintroducing cheese and meat and yoghurt to my daily menu:). I had a hamburger today, because it's a feast day, after all, but cheese is the food I miss most, every single Lent. You'd think I would tire of it, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe next year...
By the way, do any of you happen to know good novels or non-fiction books about the American Civil War, that would describe the war from the Yankee point of view? I feel my take on American society and history is being skewed, because I only read about things from the Confederate angle. I mentioned it to my friend today, and we talked about how the Finnish Civil War of 1918 was more commonly treated from the winners', aka the White point of view. It wasn't even really the done thing for decades to put flowers on the unmarked graves of the Reds who were executed. It would probably have been healthier to talk things over, but they thought it easier to shut up. By the way, please, please remember that I am Finnish, and I wasn't involved on either side of the American Civil War in any way, that I only know about it from reading a little in school, and watching movies and reading GWTW. I don't have any personal opinions about the whole tragic business, but I would like to learn more.
Have a great week, see you tomorrow!