In SM Stirling's The Desert And The Blade (New York, 2016), Chapter Twenty, a Japanese warrior says of his Empress:
"'I cannot believe that she is otherwise than the very voice and hand of the Great Kami, stretched out to counsel and protect Their people.'" (p. 497) (my emphasis)
A Story We Were Told At School
In post-War Europe, some soldiers rebuilding a bombed church found a statue of Christ with its hands blasted off. Instead of repairing or replacing the statue, they re-erected it as it was but added a sign: "He has no hands but yours."
After posting this story, I thought to google it and found more than one reference, e.g., here.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Considering how harsh and dictatorial Merseian Protectors could be, I find it rather hypocritical for Merseians to sneer at the Terran concept of the leader of a state being its HEAD.
And the story about an image of Christ losing its hands reminded me of the Giovanni Guareschi story where Our Lord acting thru the image on a cross, extended His arm to intercept a bullet meant for Don Camillo.
Sean
Sean,
There was a miracle in a Don Camillo story?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, indeed! To the stunned amazement of Don Camillo! I THINK story is in THE LITTLE WORLD OF DON CAMILLO.
Sean
Sean,
The problem is that the Hands of the Vachs serve the interests not of individual Merseians but of (their idea of) the Race.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But how do you distinguish that from the "interests of individuals' if those individuals agreed with the Hands idea of the Race? To be fair even to the Roidhunate, it was not a grimly totalitarian regime a la the USSR. Which meant it's ideology of racial supremacism had real and solid popular support.
Sean
Post a Comment