The Precipice

"You say we're on the brink of destruction and you're right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve."

-- Professor Barnhardt, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008)

No matter how evolved humankind becomes, we will always find ourselves at odds with those who would visit evil upon us. There will always be evil in the world. Evil is necessary in order for there to be balance in the universe. In both versions of the movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still, the "advanced" aliens admit to this ongoing struggle by creating robotic police to enforce peace among their own member civilizations throughout the universe. The moral of the story is that you shouldn't destroy good to eliminate evil, right to eliminate wrong, or you risk becoming the very thing you seek to destroy.  But, it also speaks to not forgetting from whence you came.  Everyone deserves the chance to evolve.  If change is the only constant in the universe, then change must be allowed to happen.

The self-proclaimed righteous must separate the wheat from the chaff.  If this cannot be accomplished then the destructive civilization must be contained, for the protection of the whole, until they can they find their own way to evolve into more than they are and, thus, become part of the greater whole.  If evil is destroying innocence, it is incumbent upon the innocent to rise up against it and for the strong to offer assistance, but the meek must fight their own battles against an evil which seeks to subjugate.  Anything not earned is never lasting; soon or later it is taken for granted.  Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach a man to fish...

Those who claim a higher state of evolution and, therefore, the right to judge and then destroy are simply evidence of their own inability to evolve past the very violence they claim to despise.  The violent must be left to their own devices, albeit mentored and contained, so they can earn their evolution into something better.  We tend to assign little to no value in something we have not earned.  If you cannot put "evolution" into the context of being earned how do you expect to retain the value of it?  Besides, if you destroy an entire civilization because segments exhibit elements of evil, how does this make you any better than the evil you seek to destroy?  William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779-1848), is quoted as saying, "The possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility."  How very true this is, and more so for those who claim a righteous mantle, such as the military, politicians, doctors, lawyers, clergy, law enforcement, educators, and such.

It is unfortunate that we are a species seemingly driven by ego and greed; we need, we want, and we assign ourselves the right to take.  We excuse the destruction of our environment in the name of survival and progress, as we slowly kill ourselves and damn our immortal souls.  We create beautiful music which we corrupt with bass so loud it can't be enjoyed and wonder why our hearing fails with age.  We create beautiful paintings and then elevate our artistic tastes to crap which looks as though a blind monkey might do better.  We say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet evidence would indicate we're all blind.  

The bight among us excel to university only to be indoctrinated into a political philosophy when we're supposed to go there to learn how to learn, how to be critical, and how to think for ourselves, and yet we tend to graduate class after class of mindless robots who toe a party line which reeks of Orwell's 1984, the very social structure we fear.

As we approach the precipice we seem hell-bent on becoming our worst nightmares despite our fears of doing just that.  It is only as we approach old age that we look back with a realization that we have become the evil we have fought to stave off.  We have become "all-powerful Time which destroys all things."  Instead of evolving passed time to a realization that the concept of time is, in fact, just a concept, we embrace the debilitating limitations inherent in the concept:  We never have enough of it, we always waste it, we can't save it, we can't stop it, and we are doomed because of it.  We grab for all the gusto which life presents.  We follow the advice of Admiral Farragut to Capt Drayton during the Battle of Mobile Bay, "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!"

We approach the precipice at full speed, seemingly without care.  And yet, one can't help but wonder if, deep in our subconscious, we are aware of the need to evolve before we self-destruct.  Perhaps it takes this imminent destruction, this cold slap in the face, to wake us up to the undeniable necessity of evolution.  

As I contemplate the coming day on the Cusp of Forever, I think about the rerun I watched the other night of a movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still.   Yes, it was just a movie, but art all too often imitates life.  Perhaps the good Professor Barnhardt was correct when he stated to the alien, "You say we're on the brink of destruction and you're right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve."

"Do not judge, or you will be judged.  For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.…"

-- Matthew 7:1-2

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.