The League of the Perpetually Offended

“It is much more agreeable to offend and later ask forgiveness than to be offended and grant forgiveness. The one who does the former demonstrates his power and then his goodness. The other, if he does not want to be thought inhuman, must forgive; because of this coercion, pleasure in the other's humiliation is slight.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), philosopher, cultural critic, scholar

Note:  I fully expect this post will piss off and, yes, offend my favorite group.  So what else is new.  And, as always, I am fully prepared to ignore them.  Truth is an ugly animal which many insist on raging against.  I respect their right to rage, but I much prefer if they would agree to disagree, stop harming the innocent, and move on with their lives.

Those who offend me are people offended at everything, perpetually. They can't go through a day without being offended, even if it's an offense at something of life's minutia.  The fact that I am offended at those folks who are perpetually offended should come as no surprise to those who know me.  They know I wait patiently as the perpetually offended feed on their own members, hoping that, one day, they will eventually destroy each other over some insignificant offense within their own ranks.  This feeding frenzy will continue until only one offended person is left on earth.  Having destroyed everyone else, their offense will then be aimed at themselves as there will be no one else left at which to be offended.  This will be the day the last person on earth, perpetually offended, learns they should have lived in harmony with everyone else.  Now they find themselves offended at being left with committing suicide as penance for their stupidity.  The last offended thought slogging through the void between their ears will probably be toward their cowardice, for not being strong enough to brave living life alone for the rest of eternity.  But, that's just my humble opinion, for what it's worth.

“The person who offends, and the person who has been offended and awaiting for a revenge have one thing in common: the real uncertainties of tomorrow is truly uncertain to both of them.”

― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah, author

An old adage states, the only certainties in life are death and taxes.  The offender and the offended are both going to die, sooner or later, as will everyone else.  I wish, with all my heart, I could be everyone else, but the perpetually offended really ride up on me like a tight thong on a fat man's butt.  

My curse is that I give a shit.  For instance, I really give a shit that there are self-righteous dumbasses in the world who think murdering babies, for no good reason, is appropriate.  They take offense that ethical people call them down over the immorality of it.  And, I really take offense when they actually try to excuse the act; excuses which boil down to, "Because it's our freedom to do so."  You have the freedom to murder babies without good legal or medical reason?  The Nazis thought they had the freedom to murder millions of Jews, and made up reasons to excuse their atrocities, as well.  History recorded, for eternity, how their little experiment in genocide played out.

As much as I hate quoting scripture, I do so because it pisses off the perpetually offended.  I keep this firmly in mind when I think of Romans 12:17-21, to wit:  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  So, we're supposed to let them keep murdering their own in hopes they will murder themselves out of existence?  Sounds like something I'd say.

As a person of faith, though, I have to ask:  When is that vengeance going to rain down, Lord?  Where is that promised hell and damnation?  How many of your "gifts" to mankind's future have to die, before you step in and unsheathe that sword?

Overcoming evil with good presupposes that evil isn't totally blind to good sense.  Light can only be seen if you are willing to open your eyes.  I am reminded of the moral of a philosophical parable, The Blind Men and the Elephant:

So, oft in theologic wars 

The disputants, I ween, 

Rail on in utter ignorance 

Of what each other mean; 

And prate about an Elephant 

Not one of them has seen!

And, what if you open your eyes and see it?  What if are not blinded by "utter ignorance" of what you haven't seen?  And, even if you are truly blind, how can you ignore the silent screams of the murdered millions?  Perhaps God's vengeance is a special place in hell, where the cursed are treated to the pleading cries of the innocent, blasted nonstop through state-of-the-art stereo speakers.  But, I digress.  There is so much more that pisses off the perpetually offended than being told they can't commit immoral atrocities, without cause.

Ethics, morality, Christmas trees, patriotism, God, hard work, and so much more, seem to absolutely piss of the League of the Perpetually Offended.  It seems they are only truly happy when making others miserable.  Live and let live, is not in their lexicon.  They must have something to be offended over as much, or more so, as some think we must placate them.  As long as the offended aren't hurting anyone, I say we should turn the other cheek, ignore them, and let them wallow in their own selfish misery if that's what they care to do.  The real curse for the rest of us is that it's hard to ignore selfish ignorance when it's screaming in your ear.

“People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good.”

-- Mark Manson, author, blogger, entrepreneur

The League of the Perpetually Offended is just one more segment of the League of the Perpetually... whatever.  If change is the only constant in the universe, then perhaps we should all embrace the possibility we might be wrong at any given moment, before we engage our brains in a battle of wits which will make us look like so many jackasses braying at each other.  We should all try focusing on the inalienable rights of human beings to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  The most important of these, however, is life.  Without life the other two rights are moot, and yet the League would seek to deny these rights to others perpetually, especially the most vulnerable, those without a voice.

Yes, I am perpetually offended at the perpetually offended and, yes, that makes me perpetually offended at myself.  But, I am not offended, and certainly not perpetually offended, at every little thing life has to offer.  Maybe the offended should do what I do and pay more attention to introspection, along with a bit of history and philosophy.  I do it often and always find these, especially history, quite enlightening.  I'd like to think it prevents me from always sounding like just another ignorant braying jackass.

Just saying.

“The useful idiots, the leftists who are idealistically believing in the beauty of the Soviet socialist or Communist or whatever system, when they get disillusioned, they become the worst enemies. That’s why my KGB instructors specifically made the point: never bother with leftists. Forget about these political prostitutes. Aim higher. They serve a purpose only at the stage of destabilization of a nation. For example, your leftists in the United States: all these professors and all these beautiful civil rights defenders. They are instrumental in the process of the subversion only to destabilize a nation. When their job is completed, they are not needed anymore. They know too much. Some of them, when they get disillusioned, when they see that Marxist-Leninists come to power—obviously they get offended—they think that they will come to power. That will never happen, of course. They will be lined up against the wall and shot.”

-- Yuri Bezmenov (1939-1993), former Soviet journalist and KGB informant

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.