for they will see God.
(Matthew 5:8 NIV)
The Second Coming (Excerpt)
W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
--------------------------
The Anatomy of Smears
Those who smear others claim rectitude and innocence and practice astonishment that anyone could possibly think otherwise.
People seek to destroy the reputation of others for selfish ends and are often filled with envy and jealousy.
When people smear others they typically seek to claim for themselves an air of objectivity, and thus express utter wonderment that any fair-minded person could question their impeccable search for truth (invariably "truth" of the most salacious kind).
The person who smears calculates that their accusations will embroil the accused person in perceptual altering controversy and will render them thereafter tainted, damaged goods.
As for the person smeared, their loyal friends look for a response filled with adroitness and skill in outflanking falsehood followed by immediate re-imaging of and return to shared governing purposes.
For Christians the downside of salvation is that the Way can attract ruthless opposition, even hatred. At such times the "cloud of witnesses" provide an abiding trajectory of inspiration and toughness.
Print Page
