Penny Thoughts before Christmas

According to the Bible, the Virgin Mary, inspired by Holy Spirit, gave birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, a city south of Jerusalem. Three "wise men" from Persia saw the star, later known as the Star of Bethlehem, followed it and came to the place. They believed there was a new born King and brought three gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense and myrrh were valuable incense at that time, and gold was as expensive as ever. Joseph was said to be a carpenter. and i never heard of Jesus having a maid. So i suspect the Joseph family led a not-too-luxurious life, although Joseph was a descendant of King David many generation away. Where did those treasures go afterward? If Joseph and Mary invested wisely, the family would have been rich before Jesus's crucifixion some thirty years later.

i loved listening to stories of Jesus when i was a kid. Such stories as the Good Samaritan and the Lost Son were very interesting, music to the ears, and easily understandable. The Samaritan taught us help people in need. The Lost Son told us to correct our wrongdoings. Children doesn't need to be particularly smart to understand these stories because Jesus intentionally made them simple for everyone.

However, there was an exception. One teaching of Jesus was very harsh. This teaching would only make a laughter among kids, even adults, as they treat it as a joke. i thought it was stupid when i first heard it. But still, i cannot fully understand it. That is "Turn The Other Cheek".

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye', and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.", (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV) Jesus told his followers on a mountainside.

"If someone strike you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Listen, Jesus told us to do this not to innocent people or your barbaric girlfriend, but to an "evil person". Some people simply reject this idea, say this is ridiculous, stupid and even unjustice, in a sense that it allows the evil person to do whatever he likes without receiving punishment. Even sincere Christians say not to take this teaching on the face value and it should be taken in a spiritual, conceptual manner. They interprete Jesus words as an emphasis of pacifism. Even though i am not a Christian, i respect the Bible as the Bible, not a restaurant menu or a dim sum order sheet from which you can freely select what you like and can afford, and take the others "spiritually".

Also, Jesus must have realized that the audience were ordinary people. He told the other stories in the most easy-to-understand way. i don't think he would choose to suddenly transform into an Alan Greenspan to entertain the sodoku addicts.

Does "Turn The Other Cheek" (TTOC) really work? Has anyone ever tried?

i have no idea if TTOC work or not. But i know the opposite, competing, tactic "An Eye For An Eye" (AEFAE) hasn't ever work well.

US President Goerge W Bush, the most powerful man at present and also a Christian, called Iraq, Iran and North Korea the Axis of Evil, for they allegedly sponsor terrorism. A month after the tragic 9-11 attacks in New York, the U.S. launched a war against the Afghani Taliban regime aimed at Osama bin Laden. In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq, claiming that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein possessed weapn of mass destruction, a threat of the world's peace.

An AEFAE, in the most fearless form, and what? Terrorism stays. This year alone, bombing took place in Britain, Indonesia, Jordan and Iraq, killing hundreds of innocent people.

AEFAE was nothing new when Jesus raised his TTOC, and has been much well received. American economist Thomas Schelling, together with Israeli mathematician Robert Aumann, won a Nobel Prize in Economics for related theories. Schelling used Game Theory to explain how two parties in conflicting position can avoid a fight by swearing to take a revenge, a concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD). According to MAD, each side will hold fire to avoid getting revenge. It is said that MAD explains why the Cold War didn't lead to a real war -- both the US and Soviet Union knew it would be the end of the world if one of them pushed the button.

It theoretically works only when a dozens of assumptions stand, one of them being perfect rationality of which people are most incapable. Even if all the assumptions hold, the best MAD can do is to deter the fight, but not to root the conflicts.

Jesus didn't rely on any theoretical assumptions. TTOC was to apply universally. The most admirable interpretations for TTOC is that that Jesus was right and people just do not live up to that -- the world has been so spoiled that the heavenly value doesn't work here.

i enjoyed listening to stories about Jesus's miracles too. Once, he healed a blind man from birth. In another day, he fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. We all love hearing about miracles because they give hopes. This Christmas, may miracles be among us so that we learn to appreciate trust, respect and consideration of one another.

Nov 17, 2005
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