There is a question that sometimes occupies my thoughts. Are we under any obligation to those of the past ? That is to say, are we indebted ? We have certainly taken from the past. You can not deny the past has gotten us where we are today. The people we interacted with provided us with direction. We either lead or followed, but we were not alone. Do we owe anything to those left behind ? What of those that chose a different path ? Are we obligated to provide them with a vehicle for their own progress ? I'm talking about those that shared with us for a while, and then departed. Does our past obligate us should they request it ? Are we required to pay the toll ?
I believe we all have places that we no longer wish to visit. Is it wrong to stay away ? I'm not talking about forgetting or dismissing, I'm talking about revisiting. If you get burned would you stick your fingers in the fire the second time ? I'm betting you will not. Even when asked to do so would it not be prudent to say no ? Is there a circumstance where you would do so ? Only, I suppose, if you felt a moral obligation to do so. The question then is, what if you feel no moral obligation whatsoever ? What if you feel you have paid that toll ? Are you then released from obligation ?
The other side of this is, should I deny rest to the weary ? What if the past is a burden to the one that walks that different path. A road I know nothing of and a journey I have not taken. What if this traveler asks for help paying the toll ? Am I obligated ,as an act of Christian charity, to help ? Irregardless of past injury to myself, must I comply ? I am not talking about forgiveness here, that is another topic altogether. Certainly one can provide comfort and assistance without offering forgiveness. Or am I wrong about that ? Does a lack of forgiveness necessitate punishment ? Does involvement imply forgiveness ?
Our lives are an intricate web. Each and every strand transmits a feeling,a vibration. We can become desensitized to specific vibrations. Others always cause us to react. We can attempt to tune them out but eventually the vibrations intensify. The main strands, those that support the rest, form the basis for our thoughts and actions. Whenever one of those strands is severed the injury is severe. We are forced to rebuild. We do not want to jeopardize those supporting strands again. That is why we withhold action, hesitate to act. We consider the cost to ourselves. Are we willing to pay the toll ? Is the toll, forgiveness ?
I believe we all have places that we no longer wish to visit. Is it wrong to stay away ? I'm not talking about forgetting or dismissing, I'm talking about revisiting. If you get burned would you stick your fingers in the fire the second time ? I'm betting you will not. Even when asked to do so would it not be prudent to say no ? Is there a circumstance where you would do so ? Only, I suppose, if you felt a moral obligation to do so. The question then is, what if you feel no moral obligation whatsoever ? What if you feel you have paid that toll ? Are you then released from obligation ?
The other side of this is, should I deny rest to the weary ? What if the past is a burden to the one that walks that different path. A road I know nothing of and a journey I have not taken. What if this traveler asks for help paying the toll ? Am I obligated ,as an act of Christian charity, to help ? Irregardless of past injury to myself, must I comply ? I am not talking about forgiveness here, that is another topic altogether. Certainly one can provide comfort and assistance without offering forgiveness. Or am I wrong about that ? Does a lack of forgiveness necessitate punishment ? Does involvement imply forgiveness ?
Our lives are an intricate web. Each and every strand transmits a feeling,a vibration. We can become desensitized to specific vibrations. Others always cause us to react. We can attempt to tune them out but eventually the vibrations intensify. The main strands, those that support the rest, form the basis for our thoughts and actions. Whenever one of those strands is severed the injury is severe. We are forced to rebuild. We do not want to jeopardize those supporting strands again. That is why we withhold action, hesitate to act. We consider the cost to ourselves. Are we willing to pay the toll ? Is the toll, forgiveness ?
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