WAR AND THE SMALL NATIONS

(from the forerunner 192

Gibran Khalil Gibran

http://www.leb.net/gibran/

Once, high above a pasture, where a sheep and a lamb were grazing, an eagle was circling and gazing hungrily down upon the lamb. And as he was about to descend and seize his prey, another eagle appeared and hovered above the sheep and her young with the same hungry intent. Then the two rivals began to fight, filling the sky with their fierce cries.
The sheep looked up and was much astonished. She turned to the lamb and said:
"How strange, my child, that these two noble birds should attack one another. Is not the vast sky large enough for both of them? Pray, my little one, pray in your heart that God may make peace between your winged brothers."
And the lamb prayed in his heart.

Once, high above a pasture, where a sheep and a lamb were grazing, an eagle was circling and gazing hungrily down upon the lamb. And as he was about to descend and seize his prey, another eagle appeared and hovered above the sheep and her young with the same hungry intent. Then the two rivals began to fight, filling the sky with their fierce cries.
The sheep looked up and was much astonished. She turned to the lamb and said:
"How strange, my child, that these two noble birds should attack one another. Is not the vast sky large enough for both of them? Pray, my little one, pray in your heart that God may make peace between your winged brothers."
And the lamb prayed in his heart.

let me prove my point here that i previously commented it illogic

the story is about hugnry eagles and poor sheep.

1. the eagles are not fighting for a space in sky, they are fighting for food - absolutely understandable.

2. the sheep (brainless sheep) looked up at a sky and said "blah blah blah" or "mah mah mah". what can you expect from sheep to say?

3. the sheep doesnt say to her lamb: "come on baby, hide, run to the shepherd while these two are fighting". "look, at them my child, remember, whenever you see them, run, otherwise they will eat you".

now this called wisdom, not the blah blah you quoted.

Keeping the title of this short story in mind (war and small nations), and looking at the it from a metaphorical point of view, one can understand it better.

There is no place where small powerless nations can run and hide, and having a shepherd means that the country is a colony or under mandate so it is powerless anyways.

The only solutions is sit and wait to see what your fate will be.

The author Gibran  comes from a powerless small country, Lebanon. I am sure he was inspired by lebanese history when writting this story. 

Why he had the sheep pray!? May be to say that msot small nations are peaceful.

Keeping the title of this short story in mind (war and small nations), and looking at the it from a metaphorical point of view, one can understand it better.

if we talk in a metaphorical manner he could put it a better way. but he didnt show his brilliance.

There is no place where small powerless nations can run and hide, and having a shepherd means that the country is a colony or under mandate so it is powerless anyways.

thats not true. i think you have a complex of a victim. this metaphore actually fits israel not lebanon. because arabs have the whole middle and cant stand a little tiny state of israel and attacked israel together with powerful russia.

The only solutions is sit and wait to see what your fate will be.

thats again not true, you can and should do something, you should educate yourself, built a better shelter (speaking metaphorically), create and invent, develop a better way of self-defence. but i dont think that you have a base to do so, you prefer to sit back and cry and moan and accuse all around.

The author Gibran  comes from a powerless small country, Lebanon. I am sure he was inspired by lebanese history when writting this story. 

i dont think lebanon was always powerless small country. it stopped being what it was after you all-tolerant invited palestinians and invented hezbollah.

Why he had the sheep pray!? May be to say that msot small nations are peaceful.

prayer is nothing bad, but its better to pray in a safe place after making sure that your littles and weakest are under  a safer shelter.

if we talk in a metaphorical manner he could put it a better way. but he didnt show his brilliance.

First time I hear someone call Gibran not brilliant. The only one who didnt like his writings as far as I know was the church

Of course everyone is entitled to his opinion.

thats not true. i think you have a complex of a victim.

Keeping in mind that this story was written way before the existence of the state of Israel, so as you say the complex of victim hypothesis doesnt apply.

A great book to read though on this subject by Avraham Burg, former knesset president and Tsahal lieutenant, "the holocaust is over we must rise from its ashes". He clearly says that the jews have the victim complex.

this metaphore actually fits israel not lebanon. because arabs have the whole middle and cant stand a little tiny state of israel and attacked israel together with powerful russia.

As for the middle east problem, powerful Russia and powerful USA had a big role during the war you mention and the tiny little Israel you talk about has nuclear weapons with the blessing of the US whereas the surrounding countries do not.

thats again not true, you can and should do something, you should educate yourself, built a better shelter (speaking metaphorically), create and invent, develop a better way of self-defence. but i dont think that you have a base to do so, you prefer to sit back and cry and moan and accuse all around.

I dont know why you brought education into this, I dont think we can call small nations uneducated just because they are small and powerless and their resources is limited. To give the lebanese example, lebanese are well educated and the rate of literacy (adult and youth above 15) is 88.3 (http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/3.html)

There is some work still to be done but 88% is not negligeable.

The two phrases, "Self defense" and "accuse all around" are a bit contradictory no?

Anyways, if we sit and moan we are accused of being very weak, uneducated and have no base to create, invent, and for self defense  and if we fight back with the limited resources we have we are called terrorists! what a dilemna!

May be if we just vanish from this earth it will make you happy

i dont think lebanon was always powerless small country. it stopped being what it was after you all-tolerant invited palestinians and invented hezbollah.

I wish what you say was true. Lebanon was always under either occupation or mandate or supervision of other countries.

The only short period of time we had a true independence was during "emir Fakhreddine" rule and later the ottomans raised an army to restore order in lebanon and fakhreddine  was hanged.

 So Lebanon was always annexed either to the surrounding countries or under ottoman rule or french mandate. Even after what we call independence we had couple of years of peace before the inevitable civil war started of course fueled by foreign countries. The root cause of war is the discriminating law that favors one religeous group over the others. Injustice brings wars.

So our problem  goes  back way before before palestinians and hizballa.

inally If i were to choose between being the eagle or the sheep I would  choose the peaceful sheep, may be they are not smart but they are peaceful.