Martyrdom

How exciting and meaningful it is to live 
in today's enlightened society. Existing in
fact in that half of the world that appears to 
have become infected with the virtue of 
progressive humanitarianism while the 
other half appears to have regressed with 
few regrets as primally ravening eager to 
feast on the corpses of those they have 
slaughtered for not being just like them. 
The enlightened people make no demands 
that others share their tender sensibilities 
and penalize no one for not so doing at the 
very time the barbarians are, so to speak
at the gate. With the utmost courtesy those
slavering beasts are invited through the
gate, for the enlightened make no effort
to be judgemental, firmly convinced that
a different kind of enlightenment must
have swept through the consciousness
of those now infiltrating the ranks of the
pure at heart. A contest of values? This
is a conflict like no other, combatants on
one side, placaters on the other. Conscience
is a hard taskmaster; its lack enabling. In
essence the two utterly divergent attitudes
share a major tenet albeit variantly defined
and approached, in achieving martyrdom.