Stand and applaud
Posted by Richard on April 12, 2005
GeekWithA.45 gives a standing O to There Are No Barbarians At the Gates. I rise to join him, although it makes typing difficult. Here’s a sample:
Violence and brutality are as much a part of humanity as intelligence and socialization. It is the universal drive of civilization to contain these instincts, to redirect them into more productive channels, to convince people to live within a set of rules. But no matter how civilized, no society has eliminated them, nor will one. The society that forgets this is the society that falls to the barbarian hordes. The society that accepts this, and nurtures the warrior spirit away from barbarism and into the defense of the right is the society that rises to glory.
… I devoutly hope to never see true violence, and I have so far managed to avoid even bar fights. I want to be the absolute last line of defense for me and mine, behind every person my tax money has hired to keep my community safe. But no amount of wanting will mean that I am not that last line of defense, and I need, I deserve, I demand the right to be that last line.
Bravo! Read the whole thing. Pass it on to your friends. And don’t forget to check out the comments; there are some good ones. I like Gordon Fink’s zinger about gun-controllers and pacifists (emphasis added):
They believe that if only they could eliminate the “tools of violence” (guns, knives, etc.) and teach non-violent conflict resolution (like that practiced on three out of four planes on Sept. 11th), then the world would be a better, more peaceful place.
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