Opus 2024-428: Values

A quote comes to mind from a movie I used to show to the kids at school about the Battle of the Alamo.  It has William Travis, making a statement, “There are many things in life that are worth living for, but they’re only a few that are worth dying for.  Liberty is one of those.”

Our liberty has two foundations.  First come the ideas.  When you read the Declaration of Independence and Constitution you are instructed in some basic concepts.  It is necessary for us to believe in those principles.  The other side of the coin depends on people willing to die for those principles.  While we still have people willing to risk their lives I am not sure that we have leaders that believe in the principles.

Stories like this are valuable because they reinforce in dramatic form ideas we should embrace.  It might be a problem though to be sure that the actual events happened as repeated.  Since no one survived on the Texas side in the Battle of the Alamo, we would have to say that the story and this quote are probably either myth or legend.  That, of course, does not take away from the power or the truth behind the statement.

Take something most people are familiar with, the parable of the prodigal son.  One of the questions I ask when teaching on this parable is, “Is this an event that Jesus knew about or is it a story made up to teach a principle?”  For some people this is an important question.  My position is that a position is irrelevant.  The truth being taught does not depend on whether the events are fact or fiction.  The point is, did you understand the principle being taught?  If Jesus was teaching history then the precision of the details might matter.  Since He was teaching about the love of God the Father there are many things that are irrelevant.  It doesn’t matter the date.  The location is immaterial.  The gender of the child could be changed.  It could be about a prodigal daughter in New York City during the 21st century.  The basic truth would not change.

What are you willing to die for?  Your cat?  Your collection of match books?  Your children?  Those are relatively easy.  What about more abstract things like your freedom of speech?  How would you respond if the marshals showed up and nailed your church doors shut?  How about the government ignoring the third Amendment?  Don’t know what the third Amendment is about?  You are in good company.  It was a problem in 1776.  It may be an issue tomorrow.

After you decide what you would die for it might be a good time to consider if you are living for them now.

homo unius libri