Giovanni,
I am taking my time driving back to California. Driving across the United States is an experience to remember.
I have had much time to myself. I know that seems strange to some, but it’s seldom that someone isn’t asking ME for something - a bit of solitude for reflection is welcome.
I am stopping for a while in Grand Island, Nebraska, a wonderful place to experience the heartland of America – everyone should spend a few days here.
While reflecting on world events yesterday, I had a thought about how we humans act out our aggression. A few thousand years ago, a tribe would travel down the road apiece and, without hesitation or reflection, destroy the neighboring village simply because it posed a threat to them. Their reaction was instinctive and quick.
It’s interesting how we still do the same thing. We can’t however, do such a deed as easily as our earlier brothers and sisters did because we are civilized.
Instead, we have codified our instinctive behavior into a complex set of ethical and moral codes that allow us to still act out our aggressive and selfish impulses, however, we do it with the created moral authority that makes it "ok" to do so. As they used to say in Nazareth, “that’s nice work if you can get it.”
My old friend, Reinhold Niebuhr once said, to paraphrase - the ironic tragedy of human behavior is how we consciously choose evil to do good. Still has a familiar ring to it. Enough for now, I am going to relax for awhile before heading west. See you soon.
Jesus