"Also, I think we somehow do reserve a special feeling of admiration for a martyr, and of
love for a courageous young person. She was a child, and our understanding of what
happened, though it may be faulty, is that she was asked a question about whether she
believed God existed, to which her deepest conscience required her to reply that Yes,
she did, although... she might die for her reply. "
I do not understand that. Martyrs are silly to me. If one could prevent oneself from dying one should do it. So that "we somehow reserve..." stuff does not apply to me- and to some others on this thread I think. My admiration goes to those who tried to help others, or who tried to save themselves. Dying for a cause, ANY cause, without a VERY good reason repulses me- it is simply more evidence of surrendering the mind, and your common sense and basic survival urge, to a greater power (whatever power that might be- martyrs come in every flavor) and being killed for it. It reminds me of the depth of zealotry. If I were really cruel I would say it was a way of weeding out the gene pool of the people who were too fanatical to survive. But I am not cruel, and I am sorry when anyone is killed. |
