Mercy

So, my 10th graders right now are studying Julius Caesar and today we read Act III, scene ii... you know, the speeches.

Before we read Antony's speech, I told them it is (IMO) the second-best speech in all of Shakespeare's work. This, of course, got me thinking about the best speech in all of Shakespeare, which, of course, led me to go look it up again. There is a great debate about the racial implications of The Merchant of Venice, but let's set that aside for now, and instead focus on Portia's main theme: Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy...
(The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, scene i)

I LOVE this speech. Mercy is more powerful than justice. Is this not the essence of Christianity? We make mistakes, which disqualifies us from returning to God's presence without atonement. But, rather than atone for ourselves, which we cannot do, Christ atoned for us. He didn't have to, but he did. Justice demands payment, mercy allows him to make the payment for us.

Amazing.

Adventures in Korean Taxis

Tuesday's installment (a couple of days late):

Handphone ajosshi:



He was on the phone the entire way... going under the speed limit in last-day-of-Chuseok traffic.

September 11, 2011

It is already September 12 in the “Land of the Morning Calm” and I haven’t taken the time yet to ponder on yesterday’s anniversary. My feelings about the day are complex. On the one hand, it is important to me to recognize the heroism of many that day and to acknowledge the lives that were lost. Likewise, it is important to remember a day that really did change our world.

It is those changes that I think about more than anything on this day, ten years later. I remember in the months after how Americans rallied together. We cared for one another. We mourned together. We united.

However, in the years since, this unity has been corrupted. “Unity” came to mean supporting government decisions carte blanche. Questioning government decisions became unpatriotic. The results of this are clear… Patriot Act, anyone? War in Iraq, a nation completely unrelated to the attack?(I still find people who support the Iraq war because, “they attacked us first.”) Fear of Muslims?

I think what irks me most is how for eight years, it was “unpatriotic” to question the president or the trajectory he put us on. Suddenly, beginning January 2009, for the political right, there is nothing more patriotic than criticizing the president. The ultra-right has even played on 9/11 fears of Muslims to turn people against the president (even though he is not a Muslim… but so what if he was? THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS TEST FOR THE PRESIDENCY!).

But, I digress. As I said, I have mixed feelings about this anniversary. I feel that the media and the ultra-right have used the memory of 9/11 to manipulate the American public, and I hate feeling manipulated. I also hate fear-mongering. So many decisions since 9/11 have been made out of fear. I’m talking about ‘airport security’ which now involves a body scan which allows some airport employees to see more of me than I ever care for anyone to see. I’m talking about the ironically-named “Patriot Act” that still has so much support that even a “liberal” president felt pressured to renew it, but which strips citizens of privacy rights so long defended as an American ideal.

The hypocrisy of it all! The right talks about small government and accuses Obama of being “communist” (even though 99% of people who use that kind of rhetoric obviously have no idea what it means), and yet they CHEERED for the Patriot Act which is the ultimate example of “Big Brother” policy.

…and once again, I digress.

Back to the fear-mongering: The event that caused a nation to pull together has since caused a nation to live in fear. Isn’t that what the terrorists wanted? Do we really need to give them the satisfaction of causing us to be afraid of our own shadows? Where is the line between safety and a police state?

Does this make any sense? Probably not… which is why I probably will never post it…

(or maybe I will)

This evening's "Adventures in Korean Taxis" features a driver who seems to think his tires need to be ON the dotted line as he drives down the freeway and who glares at the driver to his left as though it's HIS fault they're too close.

"A lion chased me up a tree,
and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top." ~ Confucius

Thank you Dr. B for sharing. This pretty much encapsulates my adult life.