in Taccone F., Benedettini C. (a cura di), La Sapienza della Croce in un Mondo Plurale. Atti del IV Congresso Teologico Internazionale. Roma, Pontificia Università Lateranense - Cathedra Gloria Crucis, 21-24 settembre 2021, vol. 2, 2022
Rags to riches stories are quite common to come by, so much so that the interest they elicit in u... more Rags to riches stories are quite common to come by, so much so that the interest they elicit in us usually has to do with the details of their plot rather than with how they begin and end, i.e., on how the character moved from abject poverty to enormous wealth. The same can be said more or less of brilliantly laid and implemented strategies that began as daring, unheard of actions, yet ended up being so successful as to become epoch markers in their field of application. However, it is quite uncommon to hear of an idea that started off as repulsive and turned out to be successful. This is because such ideas are almost always dismissed at the outset and are rarely ever given a chance to be put into practice. Still some have managed to pass through the sieve of human incredulity and gone on to yield wonderful results. Two examples come to mind. The story would be told among the Ancient Greeks that on one occasion Alexander the Great was preparing for one of the many battles that won him his empire. When everything was ready, his generals asked whether he wished anything else to be done. It is said that he replied that the Macedonians should shave their beards. Naturally, this shocked his generals since the Macedonians valued quite highly their beards. When they asked for an explanation, Alexander explained that the beards would be an advantage to the enemy since, according to him, there was nothing handier to grasp in battle than a beard 2. If the story is true, we have here an example of a repulsive idea that became advantageous to its deviser. Another perhaps more familiar example can be seen in the life of St. Augustine. In his writings 3 , he admits that early on in his life, he was not interested in reading the scriptures because he had been ______________
Uploads
Papers by James Mwaura