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Law abiding citizens sleep peacefully in their beds, solely because dedicated men and women stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
- Author Unknown
*******
An it harm none, do what ye will. Most of us are all too familiar with this fundamental tenet of what makes us who and what we are. Yet, how many of us have actually stopped to ponder the commitment which some of us have made to ensuring harm does not come to those we care about, or our community at large, by choosing to do harm to others that would harm those we hold near and dear? Like the Christian counterpart of our Rede, there is a bit of ambivalence built into it, and it is this ambivalence which I hope we will consider as we move forward. Does the Rede still allow for those of us willing to fight to defend those ideas and people we hold dear at all costs, even if it means causing harm?
Warriors exist in every aspect of our lives, be they parents, law
enforcement personnel, soldiers, sailors and the like, or our own
"defenders of the faith" - those "walking the walk" as Pagan authors,
speakers, scholars, or the openly Pagan among us. As we take a leap of
faith in creating the Michiana Pagan Alliance, we are going to need
warriors among us, warriors willing to fight to ensure it grows and flourishes, at any and all costs. Without warriors to
defend us - be they warriors willing to fight the mis- and dis-information our opponents rely on, or warriors willing to lay
their reputations, families and, very possibly, their lives on the line to ensure the continued existence of the MPA - our
efforts may all be for naught. While it may not seem as glorious as the image of a battle-hardened soldier braving withering
enemy fire, the weapons our opponents will be wielding can be just as damaging. Reputations will be laid on the line and,
should we fail to back the brave warriors leading our fight, there may well be nothing left to fight for.
Our modern society, however enlightened, still demands there be warriors among us. Whether we want to confront the reality or not, there simple are times when there is no other option but to harm another. I doubt few of us would deny a moral imperative to fight back if our families were threatened. Yet, how many of us are truly comfortable with this reality? Regardless of one's personal views on the military, the reality for many of us who pledged our lives "to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" is that we would gladly and willingly do harm to defend the freedoms which we all share. However, when was the last time we openly thanked our friends, family and co-workers who have sworn to pay in blood the cost of those freedoms? Every time we fail to do this, we fail our warriors and leave them wondering just what they're defending. True warriors - those who have committed themselves to the defense of ideals bigger than themselves, need to be cherished and praised, as well as thanked for their efforts and sacrifices.
Ultimately, we need to welcome back the warriors into our culture. They are needed just as much now as they were in the past, and are still just as capable of truly heroic acts. The battles we will face in the coming months and years will require strength and determination on the part of all, as well as lending our energies and support to those brave warriors risking themselves for the sake of us all. Indeed, in the coming months and years, our warriors will be an integral part of the continuing success of the MPA.
- Billiam