Tuesday 11 November 2014

Background

It's hard to imagine what it must be like to beborn into captivity. Some have experienced it first-hand, but formost of us we need to read biographies, perhaps of AfricanAmericans of a century or more ago.

The story of the Hebrews was one of captivity, ofbeing put to work in inhumane conditions by cruel taskmasters. Allthat the Hebrews knew was slavery. Their culture was one of beingoppressed. In that situation, I guess, experience is the norm. Theyexpected nothing more and saw no way out.

For some in that situation there remains adeep-seated, perhaps learned, sense of respect and humanity, but itwould be so easy for that to be sapped by the constant abuse ofcaptors, to comply with the orders. And if that is how we are beingtreated surely they deserve little more in return, 'an eye for aneye' and maybe more. I find it hard to judge dancing Miriam andsinging Moses. So, set free, they celebrate and that celebrationseems to glory in the fate of those who have died.

In recent years we have witnessed the perceivedneed to reap vengeance on those who harm us, and then some sense ofelation when an alleged perpetrator is killed. We only have tothink back to the Gotcha headline of the Falklands War, theaftermath of 9/11 or the death of Osama bin Laden. We relive thepatterns that seem to have been bred into humanity of aggressionand retribution.

The triumph over oppression must feel marvellousand it's hard not to celebrate even over the death of theoppressor. That's where the examples Ghandi or of Nelson Mandelaseem to run counter to our usual human reactions and sets themapart.

And Jesus died on a cross rather than instigatingrevolution. But there was a revolution, in the end, I think.

To Ponder

• Is vengeance ever justified? Why?

• Is there any way in which you can see yourself being caught upin the cry to wreak vengeance on another person?

• In the 21^st century to what extent is it right tosing patriotic hymns?