Monday, April 6, 2026
I wish I had understood temptation. I wish I had understood that force cannot be overcome with force. It is hard to attack what won’t defend itself, yet it happens all the time. Innocent pets, children, and civilians are violated. Aggression proliferates if met with more aggression; we know this, yet we allow it to outsmart us. We are not quick enough.
Resistance itself is tempting. To resist temptation is to fight it, but if it is tempting, it has already pulled you in. The clutch of the ego has you before you recognize the tug. By the time you resist, the conflict has already deadened you. Leading ourselves “not into temptation” is staying on a razor’s edge of aliveness—a balance so fine it teeters between being quick and being dead. The quick are those who recognize the bait before it pulls them asunder. They spot the “fighting words” and recognize the lure before they defend, speak, or move. Quick.
The dead do not recognize the pull because the pull has them asunder. They are unable to resist the irresistible nature of retaliation, giving in to the clutches of gluttony, anger, or revenge. Being quick to release the snake before it strikes is key. When necessary, you may need to defend your life, but that will be done in the heat of the moment. You cannot resist defending yourself when being physically assaulted; that is called a defense mechanism. Trust it. Otherwise, leave it.
Are you quick—quick-witted and alive—or dead, possessing a deadly short wick and a trigger finger? You are the judge. You are the judge of the quick and the dead, a right we all possess, not one reserved for a bearded godling from two thousand years ago who roamed the Middle East. He was touted as “the only one.” Certainly, you are among the quick, or am I “the only one” tempted enough to call you by name?
I simply cannot resist calling you out.