Two women were fighting over a child, each claiming to be the mother. Not able to discern who was the true mother, King Solomon proposed he cut the child in two, giving a half to each. One woman, horrified, relinquished the child immediately to avoid such a fate.
On the night that Sophie arrived at Auschwitz, a camp doctor made Sophie choose which of her two children would die immediately by gassing and which would continue to live, albeit in the camp.
New York Times, Sept. 5, 2022, 5:50 p.m. ET:
Ukraine Nuclear Plant Pulled Off Line After Shelling Kindles Blaze. KYIV, Ukraine — A fire caused by renewed shelling near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant led to its disconnection from the national power grid on Monday, Ukrainian officials said, raising fears that despite the presence of U.N. inspectors, conditions at the Russian-occupied facility could deteriorate quickly and threaten a catastrophe. The fire forced the staff to sever the plant’s last connection to a reserve line that was providing its only source of outside power, once again placing critical cooling systems at risk of relying solely on emergency backup power, Herman Galushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, said Monday. … Shelling, explosions and fires around the facility, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, have raised fears for months about a possible disaster…. Two members of a United Nations team, sent last week to inspect the facility, have remained at the plant in the hopes of ensuring its safety and perhaps reducing the fighting in the area.
What is at work as both sides continue to battle for control, risking nuclear disaster? Obviously, we hope for a demilitarized zone around the plant, but if both sides don’t agree? Will this continue to its unthinkable conclusion or will one party withdraw to save the world from the worst possible catastrophe? Is there wisdom in yielding one’s own interest so as not to lose the world?
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These are the thoughts I am wrestling with in these maddening times.
I think a lot about such a situation - capitulation in the face of widespread injury to others, or such. I think of true Christianity, where we were told to turn the other cheek, to love our 'enemy', etc. These are very very difficult, but actually super powerful, but only in the end, over time, even after your own injury or death. But they grab hold of some piece of our deep inner humanity, and eventually over time can turn others away from violence. There is a demand for 'letting go', where you no longer can claim control of the situation that you desperately want to lead in a direction. That goes against every fiber of your soul if you really care about something; but that seems to be what is required, when faced with a horrible alternative. Seems you have to be able to ask for forgiveness from Life to do that, "forgive me for 'giving up' in this situation, I don't know what else to do".... And it's too easy to stand on the sidelines, and criticize and say 'Oh you should have stood your ground, stick to your principles, never surrender..." That is easy from the perspective of history. But when you are in the moment, without any assurance of what the next moments will inflict, what irreversible harm will result to you or worse to others, you make a choice based on your humanity for others. That will only be understood by others that also embrace humanity over short term worldly gain.
I was very upset to see Bernie and the Squad getting on the pro-war bandwagon. Whatever happened to the peace movement?