Angels and Devils: We Need Them Both
By John A. Akec
A world which is conflict free, where everything is perfect, where everyone will not err or disagree with the Pope, where we will all tow the mainstream line (wherever it might lead, for better or for worst) will be a boring one indeed. In fact, it will cease to be called the world as we know it.
Have you wondered why God let the devil goes loose on the world? Why was Job so severely tested despite his faith in the living God? Would it not been nice if the entire world had same religion, same culture, same race, and same colour of the skin? Why are other rich and others poor? Why others are generous and some are mean?
I always wonder why South Sudanese shun diversity of opinion in politics? Is that part of our backwardness? And what are these guys who have always been on the side of truth (as they see it)? The conformist who never wrong footed any leader whether wrong or right? Those ideal citizens who who always paid their taxes in full to the last penny and never stole a cent from public purse, if we can find them, that is?! And what about the non-conformists who come when asked to go, and go when asked to come, and sit up when the instruction is to sit down and, shout when the time is to shut up? Could'nt we do without them telling us the speck in our eyes and us telling them of the plank in their eyes?
Tell me how you would define an angel if you have not seen the devil? How would you define faith in a world free of temptation? How would you define white without knowing what black is? How would know darkness if you have not been in the light? How would you define sufficiency if you had not experienced want?
I would like to say that diversity of opinion, fortunes, cultures, outlook, etc etc makes for a healthy world.
Yes, different opinions, different outlooks, different strategies of solving a difficult problem should be welcome. All this diversity is what makes our world an exciting place and make out of us a more tolerant, creative and prosperous society…
It is our ability to detect the room for improvement in anything (be that our pet project or what have you)that motivates us to look for ways to perfect it (we could never perfect anything, but we can make it more better).
Monks, we also need devils to check up our faith and help us clean our teeth! Angels and demons --- we need them both.
Just a thought.
A world which is conflict free, where everything is perfect, where everyone will not err or disagree with the Pope, where we will all tow the mainstream line (wherever it might lead, for better or for worst) will be a boring one indeed. In fact, it will cease to be called the world as we know it.
Have you wondered why God let the devil goes loose on the world? Why was Job so severely tested despite his faith in the living God? Would it not been nice if the entire world had same religion, same culture, same race, and same colour of the skin? Why are other rich and others poor? Why others are generous and some are mean?
I always wonder why South Sudanese shun diversity of opinion in politics? Is that part of our backwardness? And what are these guys who have always been on the side of truth (as they see it)? The conformist who never wrong footed any leader whether wrong or right? Those ideal citizens who who always paid their taxes in full to the last penny and never stole a cent from public purse, if we can find them, that is?! And what about the non-conformists who come when asked to go, and go when asked to come, and sit up when the instruction is to sit down and, shout when the time is to shut up? Could'nt we do without them telling us the speck in our eyes and us telling them of the plank in their eyes?
Tell me how you would define an angel if you have not seen the devil? How would you define faith in a world free of temptation? How would you define white without knowing what black is? How would know darkness if you have not been in the light? How would you define sufficiency if you had not experienced want?
I would like to say that diversity of opinion, fortunes, cultures, outlook, etc etc makes for a healthy world.
Yes, different opinions, different outlooks, different strategies of solving a difficult problem should be welcome. All this diversity is what makes our world an exciting place and make out of us a more tolerant, creative and prosperous society…
It is our ability to detect the room for improvement in anything (be that our pet project or what have you)that motivates us to look for ways to perfect it (we could never perfect anything, but we can make it more better).
Monks, we also need devils to check up our faith and help us clean our teeth! Angels and demons --- we need them both.
Just a thought.
posted by John Akec at
8:26 AM
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