bad people

It is always rather nice to find someone who I can safely feel is bad.  It makes me feel good, at least in comparison!  Incidentally, the political machinations of the last week or so in Cape Town and the rest of South Africa confirm that I am not alone in this.  But I am talking about ordinary people: bad is okay as long as someone else is "badder" (or should that be "more bad").  


Trouble is, these days it is not very acceptable to say that someone is bad.  We still believe it though.  Things make me feel incensed, I get angry at injustices.  But in a nasty round-about way these this can also make me feel good, because I am justified in being who I am.  How sneaky the old inner motivations are!

Our ancient sage saw exactly this happen ... a bunch of men caught a woman in adultery.  (Not strangely, they didn't seem to think that the man involved should be punished.)  They asked John's spiritual teacher whether the law of the time should be kept or not.  They knew he was compassionate, but the religious/civil law demanded execution for violation of marriage.  (Actually the man was supposed to be executed too.)  


This amazing man paused, making them wait impatiently, calming the mob-moment.  Then he quietly said, 'Let the one who has never done wrong begin the execution.' 
It makes one think ...