Sunday, June 24, 2012

TWO WRONGS.

   Two wrongs do not make a right, they say. However, why doesn’t it? The Bible says if someone slaps you one one cheek, you should turn the other cheek. But should you do that? What cowardice! It is human nature to take advantage of people. If I slap you, today and you do nothing about it. Tomorrow, what stops me from doing worse when I know, you will not do a thing? The latter is human reasoning and people not wanting to be seen as fools retaliate. If I retaliate, you should know that it is because of what you did and accept my retaliation but people do not get that. Let me share a story.
  There were two friends, Peter and Paul. Peter had

a business idea and decided to go into the deal with his best buddy Paul. The business grew into a fortune 400 company. Paul had an expensive taste. He also loved to gamble. He started acquiring everything in sight. He was soon living above his means. To maintain his fast lifestyle, he dug into the company’s finances. Peter found out and was enraged. He could not believe that his friend could steal from a company he had built with his sweat and blood. He was hurt and decided to make sure Paul feels the pain he felt. Paul had apologised but Peter needed to still teach him a lesson because he felt his trust was betrayed. He sleeps with Paul’s wife. Paul finds out and is shattered. He loved his wife. The company falls apart, the friendship ends and turns into a family feud that lasts generations. Their children’s children fight each other. The payback game continues.
  Sometimes, turning the other cheek doesn’t make you a fool nor does it make you a wimp. It means you are matured, forgiving, the bigger person. It is that payback culture that is killing the society.
  A government official will reason that when he was a boy he used to walk barefoot for miles to get to school. He had only one shirt and one knickers. The officials then garnered all the money to themselves. He is there now, so it is his turn to do what they did to him to their children. He will even do worse than they did. He goes ahead to do it. Who ends up his victim? People who had nothing to do with his childhood sufferings. Another child he inflicts this on would grow up, enter a political position with the same vendetta, so on and on, round and round the circle goes.
  The same thing triggers off a war. E.g., the president of Mago and the president of Etan are friends and colleagues. They attend an international summit. President of Mago says something in the leisure room that embarrasses the president of Etan before other world leaders. Before you know it, the two countries are at war. People are dying of hunger, bombs etc. Soldiers die, civilians die. All because of pride. How did you think some wars started? Sometimes for the greater good, look the other way and turn that cheek. If you remember everything has its repercussions, you would not retaliate. Christ was right on this. So are the adages.
  An eye for an eye would leave everyone blind. If everyone is blind, who will lead? So, yes, swallow that bitter bile of pride even if it is one of the hardest things you will ever do, push it back down and forgive. Make yourself the bigger man because one plus one gives two, wrong plus wrong does not give right, it equals to disaster and calamity. Two wrongs do not make a right.

 

2 comments:

  1. Nice one if only our leaders can understand d value of d greater good, dey'll think thru thoroughly some of their decisions b4 dey implement dem

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    Replies
    1. Hello Anonymous! yes, if only but i know we will get there when people like you and i take over. Cheers!

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