So this Jesus cat, seeing crowds of people around just digging on him, heads up to the mountain and sits down. Now, whenever you catch the Jesus dude heading up the mountain to sit down, pay attention cause that is when he really brings out some good stuff, like the prodigal son story. But the mountain quote that I want to focus on here is one that has become quite a famous saying "turn the other cheek". There are many different views of what this means and the extent that one should go but, I want to focus on a different aspect of this little Jesus blurb. Here is the passage:
Matthew 5
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard the saying "keep your friends close but your enemies closer"? Where do you think that came from? Wiki says the quote has often been attributed to Sun Tzu and sometimes Niccolo Machiavelli or Petrarch, but there are no published sources yet found which predate its use by Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974). Michael says "My father taught me many things here (pause and neck scratch) he taught me in this room. He taught me (pause) keep your friends close but your enemies closer."
I really think that the GodFather quote is just a paraphrase of the GodSon quote "do not resist an evil person". What is up with that? You mean I should not resist radical Islamic Muslims that are beheading everyone that ain't radical Islamic Muslim? Bull shit on that. I should just say "here, chop my head off and here is my son's cell phone number, go chop his off also?" No man, I am going to put a a freaking cap in that towel head's towel head first chance I get. I mean, that is why I carry a gun. I am just waiting for some ape shit crazy mofo to come barging into MY theater and go all James Holmsey so I can pull and charge and shove the barrel of my gun in his face and pull the trigger until it goes click click click. But I heard someone, one day, long ago, say that when you apply resistance against something, it gives it something to fight against. But, if you remove the resistance, the opposing object just falls on its face. With nothing to fight against, it just feels silly sitting there swinging at the air. Like, some say that if you are confronted with a bear, just lay down and don't move, it will go away. But if you stand up and resist the bear, you are going to die. Same principle, resist not the bear. Mind you, although I am a self proclaimed bad ass, I probably would not try this and would die being over run by a bear that is simply enjoying the chase. But, you get the principle I am trying to convey at this point.
So, really, we should resist not evil? Turn the other cheek? Walk into Hitler's gas chamber and really pretend we believe it is a shower? I am not sure I can do that, but this is what I have seen. I have seen a small band of spoiled self entitlement attorneys in a firm begin to murmur and complain about certain partners, and then fueled by resistance it resulted in the collapse of the firm. I have seen a person rise up in a church to bring division and dissension, a lone voice with a small following. But, when met with great resistance, this lone voice hunkered down and 4 years later the church is on the brink of imploding. I have seen this principle destroy families, marriages, friendships and businesses. Sometimes it all comes back to Rodney King's "why can't we all just get along?"
It is a radical thought is it not? To what extreme should one take this? Rather than resist the Islamic terrorist should we open our borders and allow them to freely pour into our country and become voters? That seems to be the Obama way. Should we allow someone to beat us with whips, mock us and then nail us to a cross? I am not ready to bite off anything quite that big. But, I do think that the principle is true. I do think that if your son is bucking up against your authority, that you need to press in and show love not shove him down. I do think that if someone is voicing a different opinion, you need to listen and try to understand. We all have our own baggage and hurts that cause us to prejudge the world. Would it help if we tried to keep our enemies closer. Try to understand why they believe different than we do? I don't know, it would save on ammo costs I guess.
Billy Hill here, I like it neat
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