Civilization Ho, One Step at a Time

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings dazzles audiences with its special
effects, affecting grandeur and epic. Yet the message latent throughout the
myth is that a ring devolving absolute power upon its possessor will never be
destroyed. Evil persons will seek it for evil ends and good persons will seek
it ostensibly for ends they believe to be good. Those who seek to harness its
power for good or ill fall victim to Lord Acton's maxim: absolute power
corrupts absolutely. Inevitably, as ably stated by Brian M. Carney in the
Wall Street Journal (Nov. 30, 2001), means are more important than ends. How
one lives is the essential. What one lives for is secondary.

It is important to be mindful of means and ends in the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. technical weaponry dazzles us as real special effects explode the
trackless wastes of Central Asia. Victory seems assured, but victory at any
price is unacceptable. Suffering is inevitable, yes, but need not be
forwarded intentionally. Actions can be judged as well as the ends they
effect. In a war, mercy must be shown to the vanquished and innocents cannot
be callously handled. Charity compels us to show grace and humility. These
are chivalric ideals infused into the West from Christianity, ideals
propelling civilization forward, away from the barbarities of the Taliban and
al Qaeda.

Thus the question, as the veil falls away in Afghanistan: How shall they
live? Little girls can anticipate an unobstructed view of the future, in the
future. What they see on the horizon may be grand indeed but they must live
in the moment, taking a direction.

James Clark

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(c) 2001 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 1 no. 10
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