Compromise=Cowardice Pt 1

"'One must compromise" Compromise is a word found only in the vocabulary of those who have no will to fight — the lazy, the cunning, the cowardly — for they consider themselves defeated before they start."-St. Josemaria Escriva from "The Way."      In today's world it is very fashionable to hear the word "compromise."  Politicians use it, diplomats live by it, the secular media deifies it, parents exhort it and college professors give A's to students who practice it.     I am not talking about compromise in a peaceful sense.  Compromise is necessary for every institution to flourish, for countries to be at peace, and for marriages to be long lasting and stable. Compromise viewed from this perspective can be seen as agreeing to disagree, but still working together for a common cause.    The type of compromise that I am talking about avoids risk because feeling good is paramount. Compromise viewed this way is masked cowardice, since it depends on pleasing the other side to the point of losing all individuality.     In life you will be put down for believing in and fighting for anything worthwhile. If you are a true Christian you will be hated. If you are a genuine leader you will be despised. If you are fighting for a cause, many will be offended. The word compromise is not in the lexicon of the great.    Unfortunately, compromise is being taught at our schools and universities today.  In higher education students are encouraged not to offend the opposing side or he/she will be viewed as authoritarian and stubborn. Taken a step further you're told you cannot view things in absolute terms. There is no such thing as winners or losers. " Everyone is the same"  so if you want to get anywhere in life, you must water down the truth to the point where both sides feel good. The huge problem with this Mr. Professor, is that this is not compromise-this is defeat.      This" compromise at all costs" mentality views evil as something that can be cajoled. The problem with this logic is that the natural world does not compromise. An oncoming hurricane will not ask a city's inhabitants, "Is it OK to destroy your homes?"  The hurricane will not lessen its ferocity to please the city's inhabitants.  The hurricane will do what it is designed to do, to destroy.    The same goes with evil.  The objective of evil is the destruction of all good.  Evil does not want to "compromise"; like the hurricane evil wants to destroy. So why is this type of compromise being espoused by our society?  We are becoming more secularized in the West.  The chief value of secularization is comfort; and what is more uncomfortable then fighting for something that is guaranteed to offend? Victory and absolute truth do not exist in the " comfort" mindset. These opposing concepts cannot coexist.  Why? Because victory and truth demand courage and courage is the willingness to do something "uncomfortable" for a greater cause.  But if comfort is our society's mantra then courage and truth can not exist since they both are inherently "uncompromising" Like nature, truth is irrespective of a person's feelings or desire to be fair. I believe that we are living in dangerous times.  We are too afraid to confront evil at the altar of compromise.  It would be wise to heed these words of Thomas Jefferson, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." In my next post on this subject I will speak about more acceptable forms of compromise.