tbolt

Another perspective on the events of this day so long ago... I am a legionnaire. I love my nation. I love my century. A hundred brothers I can rely on. We have stood together, fought together, built together, and buried our honored dead. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. We have brought law and order from the northern countries to this desolate waste of a desert. If you safely walk a road, it is because the legion makes it so. If you till the land without fear of raiders, it is our garrison that keeps them at bay. If your daughters were not harassed by a pack of drunk idiots at the tavern, it is probably because we were in another area. Some day I hope to have a small plot of land myself. Where I can raise my own family and live in peace. But that is not today. It all started earlier this week. Some big holy festival for the locals, celebrating their escape from the Egyptians, I think? Heh, Egyptians, we beat them a couple decades ago… Anyways,

Going Fishing So, what was it all for? Three years I followed him, we thought he was the one. He would right every wrong, and bring about a new order and kick the foreigners off our soil! I watched him, learned from him, saw the crowds he drew when he spoke. I saw what he did... He pushed me to do things I know I would have never done on my own, things I never could have some on my own. I pledged my loyalty, my love, my life to him. He even gave me a new name: “The Rock!” I said when push came to shove I would die beside him! Then push came to shove. We were ready to fight! Blade drawn, I was ready to teach them about righteous bloodshed! But he said no, that wasn't how things were going to work. Violence was not part of the plan, at least for us... So I ran. Like a coward, I ran... I came back, I tried. Was there anything I could do? All I could do was watch, and when someone called me out, I denied him. Three times. To a little girl! The

Today is Good Friday, the end of Holy Week, and almost the end of the Lenten season. There is a lot I need to consider today. So easy to retreat into the box of distractions and wander aimlessly... What are you willing to die for? This is something I really need to ponder today. And when I say die, I don't mean on the battlefield surrounded by heaps of the slain, or tying a bomb to one's face and walking into a public area... No... When the stormtroopers knock on one's door at 2:00 in the morning, invite them in, and go quietly with them, knowing what is about to happen... I'll be watching the Passion of the Christ this afternoon. The film brings tears to my eyes, as I consider the pain it portrays, and it's implications for my life. Asking me these questions: Would you die for a friend? Would you die for someone you liked / respected? Would you die for someone who was ignorant towards you? If someone died that you might live, how would you relate to that person for