Here's a test to take:(1) Someone hits you. Whaddya do?
A. Hit back.
B. Turn the other cheek.
C. Teach the person hitting is wrong.
(2) Someone calls you a dimwit because you’re _____ (Fill in the blank: black, gay, female, poor, old, WASP-privileged male, etc.). Whaddya do?
A. When the person's not looking, fill his/her office desk drawers with whipping cream and drop ex-lax into his/her coffee cup.
B. Turn the other cheek.
C. Airmail the person an information-packed book on blacks, gays, etc.
(3) Someone spreads false rumors about you. Whaddya do?
A. Send low-lit nudie photos over the internet with that person's name underneath.
B. Forgive and forget.
C. Send the person a note explaining how spreading rumors hurts the workplace environment, and makes things worse for everyone – including him/her.
Okay, how’d you do? Did you answer 'C' on every question? You’re a Goddess Wonder. 'B'? You're a Jesus Sweetie, but a bit of a door mat. 'A'? You are an eye-for-an-eye throwback who’s helped get the human species into the quicksand we're sinking in right now. Shape up!
______
thnx to elais for the foto
I know the correct answers but the question is would I follow the correct path?
ReplyDeleteHow many times would I have liked to have gotten revenge for some wrong done to me!
Athana? I might be right, but I'm not sure: I always thought the idea of loving your enemy even when he hurts you (iow, being committed to his greatest good regardless of how he's treated you)...well, being consistent in that love is a pretty powerful teaching tool, innit?
ReplyDeleteI know, anti-thesis. Revenge can feel good at times. But so can living in a group -- and the two don't mix well (i.e., revenge and group-living). That's one of the reasons I think we need religions. WE need regular reminders and coaching about the optimum way to behave.
ReplyDeletePaxton, I think you're absolutely right. It's best to 'love' everyone, no matter what they do to you. Both Christ the the Mother teach this. But here's a difference: For Christ, 'love' meant turning the other cheek. For the Mother, 'love' means teaching to the individual incident.
ReplyDeleteDon't be naive =\ You may very well be able to teach a person to stop doing something mean. It will rarely happen instantly. Thus the question of hitting back or turning the other cheek still applies. Not everyone will stop when you say stop -- and then, when you have reached the point where you can't improve other people any more, you'll have to look at yourself. The command of Jesus is about *your* heart, not theirs (though through your example they might see goodness).
ReplyDeletePaxton,
ReplyDeleteYou raise a good point. There are instances in which one doesn't have time to teach; one needs to act immediately.
You say the alternatives in this situation are: hit back, or turn the other cheek.
Are you sure those are the only two alternatives?
Let's look to the Goddess, to the Mother-Model: What would a good mother do if her child hit her? Would she hit back? Would she say, "Okay Lucinda, here's my other cheek: hit me again!"
No. If words wouldn't stop the child, a good mother would physically restrain her. Pick her up. Hold her. Teach her then with words.
BTW, what does "=\" mean?
I think you're absolutely right when it comes to mothers and children. =) But you don't have a mother-child relationship with every person in the world, and you can't physically restrain someone for telling nasty lies about you at the office or whatever (not unless you want to get in big trouble ^_^). I guess I wasn't thinking so much of specifically hitting back or volunteering to be beat up -- I was more thinking of revenge versus forgiveness, in those circumstances where things *don't* go your way and the other person proved resistant to your teaching.
ReplyDelete"=\" is that face people make where one corner of their mouth goes up and the other goes down, either in a lopsided smile or a halfhearted frown...um, yeah. I try to squeeze a lot of meaning into a couple characters ;)