Today our world is besieged with a seemingly never-ending cycle of violence. Unfortunately, this cycle of "payback time" appears alive and well wherever humans draw breath and are willing to use their last ounce of energy to exercise their own perceived right to exact revenge. Be it in the lanes of Belfast, the barrios of Bogotá, the streets of Jerusalem or the back alleys of Karachi—the threat is ever present.
And yes, sometimes all we have to do is look over the top of what we are reading this very minute and recognize it might be in our very own homes. The normal line of thought behind the plague of revenge goes something like this: "You poked me, so I am going to poke you back twice as hard. And we're going to keep up this routine till one person doesn't return the counterstrike."
In other words, I am going to exact my rightful pound of flesh from your hide, because the rules of survival dictate "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
But let's consider the ultimate ramifications of this age-old adage. Carrying that thought to its logical conclusion would mean that our world would wind up both blind and toothless. But thankfully, occasionally the mold is broken; and when it is, we need to take a good hard look and understand a little more deeply the power of the moment.
More than 140 years ago, one man offered a tremendous vision after an incredibly tense time in the affairs of his country. He willingly offered terms to a vanquished foe that were very different from those any victor had previously offered. Such thoughtful words were offered after four intense years of war between the states of a young American republic.
It was a time of brother against brother, cousin against cousin and neighbor against neighbor. It was a war in which the technology of weaponry had decimated the antiquated methodology of regimental troop movements. So many times, the slaughter was intense and immediate. In one such battle almost the entire male citizenry of one county lay dead within minutes.
