Posted on by Abe Austin

Us vs Them- Uncompromised Principles

Unsafe Discipleship)

In my last post I pointed out the inherent imbalance between those who engage in broad “us vs them” thinking, and those who treat everyone as individuals. Those who will persecute, abuse, and kill on the basis of identity alone will always be able to attack sooner than those who wait to see the true colors of another. The bigot can assume the offensive, while the just must begin on the defense.

It is the classic dilemma in Old Westerns. The unprincipled scoundrel has no problem shooting a man in the back, whereas the lawman requires evidence of lethal intent before returning in kind. Thus, the villain always gets to draw first, and the hero must catch up from behind.

This is but one example of a truth that we would all do well to remember. Virtuous and principled living is not safe. It is, and always has been, inherently dangerous. Perhaps we were raised in a special window of time where much of our society was virtuous, and so the imbalance of so living was not so clear. But this was the exception, and now we are seeing the rule restored. It is the pattern of history that those who act honestly and in congruence with their better nature are living with a handicap. This is not a flaw in the system, it is a simple reality, one that weeds out the fair-weather disciple from the one who holds true in all seasons.

I have noted the changing tides of society today, and the return of this hard truth. If we are going to be virtuous and principled and just, let us be so with a clear understanding of the dangers that are increasing day-by-day with that. Refusing to engage in the “us vs them” way of thinking is the right way to live, but also it is the dangerous way to live. we must accept both of those together, or not at all.

The Way of the Peacemaker)

Here at the end, I want to make one thing clear. I am not saying that the just man cannot use violence, that he cannot neutralize a threat once he is aware of it, that he cannot strike out against those who have already made their position clear.

It is not immoral to protect ourselves, even unto bloodshed (Alma 43:47), but it is immoral to be the first aggressor simply because we think someone might be violent towards us if given the chance. In dangerous times, this is what it means to be a peacemaker. It means that you do not ever initiate the violence, but that when the violence has begun, you overcome it quickly and efficiently.

I know that I am acknowledging dark ideas in this post. But presenting the real dangers and the real fears that will lead some to abandon their principles is not meant to cause discouragement or cynicism. It is meant to allow for true courage, which is only possible when we understand the real dangers before us, the real sacrifice that may come of maintaining our conscience, and with that full knowledge still do what is right anyway. The way of virtue is not an easy one, but may we all embrace that path.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Own Our Virtues

It is only when we are able to do what is right when we stand to lose the most that we gain full ownership of the virtue. At this point, no one can deny that we live and die by that truth. So long as the maintaining of our virtue is untested, it isn’t fully ours.

And so, if we are ever to truly own our virtues, each must be tested in the most trying of circumstances. God does not give these trials to hurt us; He gives them so that we can fully own something good.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Relationship with the Ideal

All people fail us. At one point or another, each person betrays the bond that they have made with us. This is not an excuse to cut off our relationships, though. It is still right and prudent to invest in people and relationships. But to protect our soul against heartbreak, we must also develop even stronger bonds to the ideal and the transcendent, which will never fail us. Just as we have a relationship with people, we can, and must, have a relationship with each of the virtues. And then we remain committed to the relationship, not just for the person, but for the ideal’s sake.

So,

Become married to the ideal of marriage
Begin a romance with romance
Be a friend of friendship
Fall in love with love
And be loyal to loyalty

Posted on by Abe Austin

Virtue is Greater Than Vice

Performing a virtue is always more challenging, and requires greater strength of character, than to perform its counterpart vice.

If I were to tell you that one man killed for his cause, and that another man died for his cause, which man would you say held the greater commitment and resolve to his cause? Obviously, the man that was willing to die.

So, too, it is more impressive to admit the truth than tell a lie, more inspiring to give away a fortune than to amass it, and more meaningful to restore peace than to start a feud.

We do not applaud the vice because we know it is very easy to do, whereas the virtue is always accomplished by walking upstream, against one’s own nature, and thus truly extraordinary. Any man that lives by virtue is forever greater than the one that lives by vice.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Equal vs Enough

It is less important to be equal than to be enough.

That isn’t to say that there isn’t a value to equality. Rooting out unfair disadvantages and gross discrimination have their place, but every virtue is bounded by others and each can be taken too far.

Perfect equality is not always the ideal and is not always possible. When a baby is first born, it should receive more care than its older brothers and sisters. The wise should receive more attention than the foolish. The innocent should have more liberty than the guilty.

Even the natural universe follows the pareto principle, in which an uneven distribution is evident, and the minority possess the majority of the resources. In the ant colony there is only one queen and tens of thousands of workers. Only 1% of all mosquito eggs will reach adulthood and reproduce. Ours is the only planet out of thousands studied to have all the correct conditions to support life. The universe is not equal.

So, while it is again worthy to root out flagrant and malicious inequality, one has to have a nuanced appreciation for the fact that absolute equality is impossible. The unbridled pursuit of it can only yield frustration and counter-productivity. Every historical example of absolute and mandated equality has ended in disaster.

In the long run, “is it enough” is a more reasonable consideration than “is it equal.” As mentioned before, the older brother may not receive equal care to his infant sister, but we can ask “is he receiving enough?” Are his physical and emotional needs being adequately met? If it is not enough, he should receive more. If it is enough, then it is enough. Are enough ants born as queen to keep their species alive? If not, they will go extinct. If it is enough, then is it enough.

Over the course of our lives we will never be perfectly equal to all others. In some ways we will always have less, and in some ways we will always have more. But do we have enough? Can we make do with our disadvantages? Can God make up for what we lack? If we can find our way to enough, then it is enough.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Divided from God- Romans 8:24-25, James 1:3-4

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

COMMENTARY

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it
We have previously noted that God would not have put this divide between us and Him unless it was for our own good. One of the good qualities that this brings about in us is patience.
Patience is a virtue that is too easily forgotten. We all know that faith is supremely important, but there cannot be any faith without patience. Faith is putting trust and confidence in a yet-unrealized good, it is anticipating a blessing that we do not yet hold. By necessity, there is a period of time between us establishing our faith and our receiving the fruits of it. But we won’t be able to get through that period unless we are willing to wait…with patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing
Patience is both a means and an end. By exercising it we stop demanding that we be given things right now, and so we become content, “wanting nothing.” But then, having become a patient being, we receive all, and thus are “wanting nothing” in an entirely different sense.
We long to see our Father, it is a desire ingrained in our infinite soul. What better way to teach us patience than to remove the possibility for that very thing? We have to make our peace with living incomplete. But if we have made our peace, then we are complete. And then, being complete, we are ready to receive the Father.