Wednesday, February 19, 2014

I told a story to a monk in Greece - offer?

A wonderful story I told a monk in Greece whom a friend was always putting above a person not in spiritual clothing (even arguably for the monk). Now in Armenia, a person may buy an acre of land from an oil company to be untouched and keep the oil in the ground, helping to secure that that acre of land never gets used. If they negotiate it that way for the right price. Both the buyer gets something and the seller. Peace of mind and something they both need. Another person can buy a dog that is about to be killed at a shelter, then give the dog its freedom, and that would be a pious act. Accordingly, this monk, who had been filling me with hope about what prevails on earth, said that every day we should perform a pious act. He suggested a few.

I added that with no disrespect to his authority, piety isn't often what leads people to condemn one and to secure the life of another. What if piety were toward a rabid animal that was diseased that caused more harm by someone who didn't intend to bring the animal to health but let it have its freedom? I added it is in how we see the animal. If a leader of a land doesn't like an agenda of a people, then even if the leader takes steps forward toward reconciliation with those who they have wronged, if it comes from fear, the fear soon will fade and the leader will once again press ahead.

The leader who is used to fear isn't seeing an offer they can't refuse. The leader and the people are not making offers to each other that CAN'T Be refused. The leader with the undesirable rabid animal that they feels piety toward will bring that rabid animal forward and laugh at the social distortion potentially. What is good for one person doling out one form of piety is bad for the other doling out their form of piety. Often people are not in the middle place. A leader bringing their baggage of tricks may find pleasure in the reaction of bringing a rabid dog and laugh at the overtures made by the piety toward a dog that is about to be killed. The monk was pious toward me that day.