I watched an interesting
documentary called "The Fog of War" last weekend. It's an interview
with former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who served in both the Kennedy
& Johnson administrations. He also served under General Curtis LeMay in
World War II. Under LeMay, he was involved in the planning & execution of
firebombings in several Japanese cities. In Tokyo, 100,000 Japanese civilians
(men, women, & children) were burned to death in one night. This was his
comment about the firebombings: "we were acting like war criminals".
He went on to explain: if the Allies had been on the losing side, they would
have been prosecuted as war criminals by the Axis Powers, because the Tokyo
firebombing was no different than some of the Nazi atrocities. He posed this
question: does the fact that we won the war somehow make these firebombings
morally acceptable? That's a good question. We didn't start the war, we did what
we had to do to win it and prevent an even greater loss of life, but his
question is still valid. It reminded me of the book "Crime &
Punishment". The main character in this book formulates a plan to kill a
dishonest pawnbroker for her cash. His rationale for his actions is this: the
world is better off without people like her, plus he can use her money to help
others. That's the question "Crime & Punishment" addresses very
effectively: are evil acts justifiable if they accomplish a greater good? The
answer should be obvious, but I'll let you read the book for yourself.
Let's consider this question from
a simpler & more personal perspective: is it morally acceptable to respond
to bad behavior with more bad behavior? Not just in big things, but in little
things as well. If a cashier is rude to you at the grocery store, does that
justify being rude to them? If someone cuts you off on the interstate, does
that justify any swearing or inappropriate hand gestures on your part? If you
see someone that annoys you walking by at church, do you say hello or do you
look the other way? These may seem like little things, but aren't we the sum of
our actions in life, even the little ones? And aren't the little things we do
an indicator of how we deal with big things? As Jesus
said: "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and
one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." (Luke
16:10) And again: "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you
have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet
only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the
Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect." (Matthew 5:46-48) It's a very human thing to respond to inappropriate
behavior in kind, but we sometimes minimize it or rationalize it based on the
other person's behavior. God doesn't judge our behavior relative to the
behavior of others, but rather according to the absolute standards set forth in
his word.
