Wednesday, September 8, 2010

O Tempora! O Mores!

I look at the face of the "Reverend" Terry Jones (I do not revere him) in today's New York Times and I make a judgment. The man is a narcissist. He has an inflated sense of his own importance, and is infatuated with himself. I make this diagnosis without the benefit of clinical expertise.

My further judgment: he is not a Christian. He is, indeed, a terrorist.

And yet, this morning in meditation, I made every effort to send him metta; to wish him happiness. Which does not mean the fulfillment of his own intolerable and intolerant dreams, nor the fulfillment of his hateful fantasy, the burning of Korans to mark the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the intended attack on the nation's capital. No. I tried to wish him that "true" happiness that depends on the creation of no harm to anyone, self or others.

I imagine that this particular Jones, like that other "Reverend" Jones, Jim, of horrific Jonestown infamy, has a vision, however distorted, of righteousness. It's a righteousness that empowers him to ignore the teachings of his purported leader, Jesus, and superimpose his own peculiar wisdom on the world--no matter the damage it may cause.

Shame on him. His words and intentions have already added fuel to the fire of hatred that threatens to consume the world. Grievous damage has been done. The deed itself, should the man pursue his intention, will create an image that gives spurious evidence to his fellow fanatics everywhere, to be exploited in pursuit of their nefarious and hate-generated goals.

The media will ensure that image is transmitted a billion-fold to all those who hate America. They will not see it as a symbol of this country's much-touted religious tolerance, nor as a regrettable example of the freedom of speech we value. They will see it, looking past all public rejection and protest, as evidence of a war against Islam.

O tempora! O mores! What more to be said?

6 comments:

Taradharma said...

General Petraeus says Burn a Quran Day Could 'Endanger Troops' It has already sparked protests. It would be best if media just left this guy alone, or a loving counter protest could occur with some dramatic visuals.

He has NO shame.

Peter Clothier said...

Unhappily, though, a loving counter protest would not generate the same publicity, and would be ignored by those who want to exploit the occasion in favor of the image that furthers their views.

CHI SPHERE said...

The proposed burning of Quran's by the irreverent Terry Jones has even been condemned by the North Star candidate, Sarah Palin. Yes, the Fox and Koch fortunes and media machines will hyper inflate his false sense of personal importance through the media blitz machine they wield.

How can the left bend our consciousness back to sanity without responding to this madness? Flowers placed inside the barrels of guns are not the answer.
Voting in great numbers will work if those who stood with Boehner who has replaced W as the person to run against.

Life is not a drive through anymore than a plug in the blowout preventer in the Gulf is a solution to the clean up needed to overcome 10 years worth of pollution caused by the BP spill.

Vote and getting out the vote is what must be done. Obama and his administration can't overcome 10 years of foolish fiscal policy in 21 months. Backbone is needed at the polls this time.

They call him James Ure said...

This whole thing (along with this so-called "Ground Zero mosque") is so sad. Especially with how the right-wing is fanning the flames of these crazies to try and win elections. Once again using fear. No worries. Even though I'm not thrilled by my Democratic Senator I'll be voting for him.

But back to the Qur'an burning. It's ironic that in the Qur'an that there are many passages about Jesus that speak of him in a respectful way. So, they are burning words that praise Jesus!!

Not to mention the first few books are the Old Testament. So, why don't they just burn the O.T. of their Bibles instead? What a sad, sad affair.

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