The Nature of Virtue

From a military blogger in Iraq:

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

- Reinhold Niebuhr

---snip

So what is happening you ask? What is happening in Iraq is people are learning what it means to be free, and Iraqis are paying for that freedom up front with their blood. Have you noticed that the insurgents keep targeting Iraqi Army recruiting stations and killing dozens at a time? Did you just file away the stories in your mental rolodex or pause to read between the lines? If you took the time to critically view the chain of stories it would become obvious that the reason the attacks kept coming is because young men refuse to be intimidated and keep signing up. Despite the bloody threats of the insurgents and their suicidal attacks. If you want to know why I have hope for Iraq you need look no further then the story behind the stories. And the sacrifices of a lone Iraqi Policeman who gave his life for his country… and ours