it is wise to know in advance a fight’s outcome. when victory is uncertain, it is brave to battle. this makes to most interesting of a cat fight. meow, baby!
a nordic fahrenheit 613- a torah burning-was green lit by swedish authorities and scheduled for last saturday. the psychic cat purrrfectly opined concerning the shareholders in this civic war. sweet strategery rolled across this nordic nation state as the ideology’s meatball being ready to be cooked. there were many sides to this incendiary moment; free speechers, the preachers for or religious tolerance, the agreived islamic community which already had their holy koran burned. the call of the “let’s get ready to rumble” would have been cried out in swedish on saturday if mr. michael buffer did not own the phrase’s rights. unlike the “thrilla in manila”, this potential “bleedin in sweden” would be sans the great howard cosell. rather, a master of warfare – sun tzu-via his text would provide sideline analysis.
the swedish torah burning event scheduled for the last sabbath has many interests seeking victory. the swedish government sought to walk the tightrope between free expression and censorship; a swedish jewish community leader sought to support free expression as opposed to a burning ban; and those influenced by a book burning’s consequences- violence and unrest- perhaps became more willing to sacrifice freedom for safety’s sake. finally, there was the proposed book burner, who, up until the event, had motives unknown.
many would view a purrfect society as one which would possess both the freedom of expression to burn books yet maintain the sensibility to refrain from igniting. brains, not flames, can explore pressing societal matters.
humans, are unlike books. we are born like computers. we are made in a factory with programming but no memory. we must be uploaded with data and advanced programs to address and understand the world. as such, human expectation is for the fool. each generation is obligated to “upload” the next with wisdom and knowledge. the torah, the bible & the koran are mere books waiting to rot or be burned as long as they sit on unread on shelves.
thus, in every generation, jews, christians and muslims must make their case. the lessons from religious scripture must be taught and re-taught infinitum. alot of what is believed to be secular has religious roots. even non-believers must be enlightened to appreciate this fact.
sun tzu’s art of war provides five essential concepts for victory. “1” he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight; “2” he will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces; “3” he will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks; “4” he will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared; “5” he will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
with the swedish authority approving the torah burning, the art of war’s victory methodology played out. the activist’s, per the timesofisrael, pyromaniacal dissipated. with victory at hand, attention, he chose to exercise wisdom to win.
with his 15 minutes of fame, mr. ahmad alush stated “it is against the quran to burn and i will not burn. no one should do that”..“this is a response to the people who burn the quran. i want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be taken into account”…“i want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. if i burn the torah, another the bible, another the quran, there will be war here. what i wanted to show is that it’s not right to do it.”
in this gesture, mr. alush seized victory with a lesson in tolerance. swedish authorities won based upon the nature of those who value their citizenship in a diverse society. likewise, the jewish community’s leader won in that freedom of expression allowed brought forth understanding and a bridge for to connect faiths. the loss, in this matter, were those who believe that censorship is the means upon which societal woes are cured.
be well!!
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