Practice Preemptive Forgiveness

Practice preeemptive forgiveness.

You will be offended, betrayed and failed by others.

Do not be dismayed, disgusted, or seek vengenace.  These things only serve to fill your life with bitterness, despair, and longing.

Forgiveness provides you the opportunity to love, and in that state, to live as an example of Christ to others.

Preemptive forgiveness acknowledges the shortcomings and deficiencies inherent in all humankind.  Recognizing we all share faults, is it not more productive to accept our brothers and sisters in love and strive to live above our nature than to exist in conflict and condemnation?  When we are slighted, and this is inevitable, we can respond with anger and seek retribution.  In that response exists the basis for turmoil, conflict, and the inablility to live in harmonious relationship. 

Such discord has been, arguably, the defining characteristic of society since the development of agriculture.  Examples abound throughout history, (e.g. Cain and Abel, Alexander and Persia, Egypt and Rome, Mongols and Europeans, Crusaders and Muslims, Civil War, WWI and II, Cold War) and a plethora of other conflicts.  These events did not occur spontaneously in a societal vacuum.  They derived from the desires and acts of individuals, Cain, Alexander, Genghis Khan, Peter the Hermit, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot.  Neither could they have taken place without at least the implicit consent of the citizens of the time.  We are those citizens.

The argument is made that selfish, destructive, evil courses of events cannot be be adequately responded to by such a pacific endeavor as preemptive forgiveness.  I am not aware that such an attempt has ever been conscientously applied.

What might happen if we, as the citizens and individuals currently able to make our voices and desires heard, declined to act in the same manner as those who have come before?

I don't know what decision you will make, nor what you may be inclined to think.  For myself, I have chosen to practice preemptive forgiveness..

Whaduyathink?

How much DID they cost?

I saw an ad today which advertised $50.00 off a pair of khakis.  My first thought was if they could take $50.00 off and not be giving me a pair of pants and some money they must be exorbitantly overpriced.  My second thought was this was a perfect example of what the Soviets referred to as American decadence.  My third thought was, wouldn't it be nice if before we manufacture pants that cost more than $50.00 we insure that none of our citizens go to bed hungry, or any die because they are poor. 

I was advised the manufacturer is entitled to make a profit.  I recognize this as a concept which exists.  I do not recognize it as valid. 

Is profit the worthiest goal?  Do we strive to achieve profit at the expense of our humanity?  Can the argument be legitimately made that a CEO is more entitled to obscene compensation than a poor child is entitled to basic nutrition and health care?

Whaduyathink?