When Dominic Flandry, frustrated by the outcome of the Starkad affair, almost screams that all that the Empire has done has been:
"'...to keep what little we have?'" (p. 191)
- Max Abrams responds:
"'If the Lord God grants us that much... He is more merciful than He is just.'" (ibid.)
It would be comforting/consoling/reassuring/inspiring (?) to hear a man with the gravitas of Commander Abrams as he solemnly affirms that divine mercy is stronger than divine justice. I think that the correct response is not to take issue about God but to understand Abrams' statement in terms that make sense to us. Prophetic religion is an interpretation of all human life as a dialogue with the Abrahamic-Mosaic deity. So how do the rest of us interpret life? If we were to receive the just deserts for our past actions, would any of us survive it? Often, we do not suffer the worst possible consequences and do have an opportunity to learn. This is my understanding of what Abrams describes as "...more merciful than...just."
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree with your analysis of Abrams' comment, even if it was not stated quite as how I would have put it.
It's hard enough for any state or society to be reasonably tolerable for most people, most of the time, so if the Empire managed to achieve that much for most of its subjects, then it should be commended, not condemned. I think that too is what Abrams also meant.
Ad astra! Sean
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