Yesterday may have been Halloween, but I\u2019m afraid there may exist something seriously scarier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m fearful that somewhere along the line, we\u2019ve taught those who come after us that it\u2019s good to be militant in our views\u2026 To be militant means to be authentic. To be militant means we\u2019re convicted. To be militant means <\/em>we<\/em><\/strong> know what is good and right and true\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Note what militant actually means\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n mil\u00b7i\u00b7tant<\/strong> | \u02c8mil\u0259d(\u0259)nt | adj. –<\/em> combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is nothing inherent in its definition that speaks to authenticity nor virtue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As eloquent author, former presidential speechwriter (and Intramuralist favorite)<\/em> Peggy Noonan recently wrote, regardless of any articulated call for equity or justice, when militance is invoked, what\u2019s on display is not authenticity; it\u2019s a desire for dominance\u2026we<\/em><\/strong> know what is good and right and true and <\/em>you<\/em><\/strong> don\u2019t. <\/em>You<\/em><\/strong> thus need to think like <\/em>me\u2026<\/em><\/strong>There is a self-assumed posture that is ready and eager to fight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And let\u2019s face it; when we\u2019re in a posture ready and eager to fight, that means we\u2019re also prone to be defensive\u2026 to take someone on at the earliest perceived infringement. That means our listening skills are nullified. Our sense of reason is off. And the idea of loving our neighbor as ourself is a nice sounding idea more apt to be thrown out the nearest window. We\u2019re selective in who that so-called neighbor actually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence, militance in our views is a weakness that unknowingly obscures wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read a scary op-ed in The Free Press<\/em> this week (a news source that has provided especially keen and thoughtful insight in the current situation in the Middle East).<\/em> It was written by contributor Julia Steinberg, and entitled \u201cWhy My Generation Hates Jews.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n