Friday, January 23, 2004

A Short Reflection on Turning the Other Cheek

This morning, while wielding the accoutrements of a competent hotel housekeeping staff, in preparation for the homecoming of the lovely Melissa, I was contemplating on the above.  I mean the title to this post.  This pathetic cliche, of almost mythological proportions, is trotted out by Christians, pacifists, secularists and the like as a justifiable argument against war, protecting yourself from harm and who knows what else.  This “turn the other cheek” mentality is derived from Matthew 5:39 and is repeated in Luke 6:29 of the Book.

Now don’t misunderstand me here.  I can appreciate turning the other cheek, say, if I am slapped by a lady for uttering crude commentary in regards to her appearance, to her face.  Ungentlemanly behavior indeed.  Or, say if I am mocked for some foible or irrational thinking. Or, a more common occurence, which I would wager has happened to most of us, being flipped off while driving.  I will readily turn the other cheek in those instances.  But let’s consider turning the other cheek in the instances where the cliche is most commonly applied.

For example, let’s say some two-bit thug is demanding my wallet, and, as a means of convincing me, said thug is brandishing a knife or a gun.  If I turn the other cheek in this scenario, I am more than likely going to be turning that cheek for the last time.  I think the more appropriate response is to teach the thug a lesson in respect for property rights.  This lesson could be delivered in a harangue, for which the thug will have no patience, or, more appropriately, by allowing the thug to contemplate his mortality and, possibly learn something about property rights, quickly, by peering into the barrel of a Berreta.

How about in war?  Should we be turning the other cheek in war?  I think not.  If all individuals, collectively, turned the other cheek in a war scenario, sure, the war would end quickly, but, more than likely, so would the individuals.  The agressors would consider the turning of the other cheek as a sign of weakness and a license to rape, pillage, plunder and mutilate.  I do not think the cliche can be intelligently applied here.

I am in favor of forbearance.  I have to be, I’ve got four teenagers who, at times, emulate their father’s unending questioning of authority, but I’ll be damned if I will allow some dirt bag to push me around and take my property because a group of men decided to slip into the Book the turning of the other cheek.  It’s only in there because these men thought it might be useful to keep the sheep penned up.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to scrub the commode.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/23 at 11:55 AM
(1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Page 1 of 1 pages