Isn’t It Time to Forgive the Terrorists?
During the first Gulf War in 1991 a reporter asked General Schwarzkopf, who commanded the US troops in that war, what was his opinion about forgiving terrorists?
His answer was: It’s G‑d job to forgive terrorists, not ours. Our job is to arrange the meeting!
The Right v. The Left
When discussing politics, we all speak in terms of The Right versus The Left. The Left is made up of so called liberals, socialists, and Democrats. The Right is made up of so called conservatives, nationalists and Republicans.
Where did these terms originate?
What makes one party left and one right? Who gave these names?
It began during the French Revolution (from 1789 till 1799), which was a period of radical, social and political upheaval in French and European history.
The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years. French society underwent an epic transformation as feudal, aristocratic, and religious privileges evaporated under a sustained assault from liberal political groups and the masses on the streets.
Old ideas about hierarchy and tradition succumbed to new Enlightenment principles of citizenship and inalienable rights of individuals.
It’s Where You Sit Stupid
In 1789, members of the National Assembly in France were passionately divided between those that supported the King and those that supported the revolution. Eventually to avoid scuffling, shouting, and fighting the two groups seated themselves separately, with those that supported the king (the old order of the monarchy) on the right side of the presiding officer’s chair, and supporters of the revolution (the new progressive idea) to his left.
The Press Do It Again
The press began using this as identification, and today "right" generally means conservative, upholding the existing social or political order, and "left" means radical, attempting to change or overthrow the existing order for novel and progressive ideas.
Virtues and Pitfalls
Without going into the politics of it, nor indorsing any one ideology, let us say simply: Each of these sides has valid and important messages which we must pay heed to, yet they also have unique dangers that their particular ideas make them susceptible to.
The Right & the Left Have Perversions
While the Right sometimes over-reacts, and the Left sometimes fails to react at all. While the Right tends to become too un-accepting, the Left is too accepting. While the Right is at times paranoid and too suspicious, the Left is often too trusting and naïve.
Liberals tend to have a hard time believing that there are people in the world that are hell bent on destroying them; that there are men who are capable of sheer evil. They struggle to define boundaries, borders, convictions, moral absolutes. The Right, on the other hand, sometimes develops attitudes of racism and bigotry.
In the Home
The conflict between these two ideologies exists also in our personal lives. Take for example education of our children and students. Some parents run their homes in with a “right wing” ideology: They are allergic to anything that might challenge the system. Their absolute, stern rules must be obeyed, with little flexibility. Other parents, conversely, are all-too-trusting, allowing their children to completely march to their own beat and define their own systems. Almost everything goes; no boundaries, no borders, no saying no. They don’t believe in their right to firmly discipline their children according to their perspective.
Yet both paths, taken in the extreme, are counterproductive and ultimately scar the children.