DIGGERS’ OPINION: He who lives by the sword, dies by it: Case of Edgar Lungu and PF
By Diggers Editor
THE Bible in Matthew Chapter 26 tells a fascinating story about the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. When a cohort of soldiers besieged the Son of Man and his disciples, Simon Peter drew his sword in defence of Jesus, and sliced off the ear of one soldier, a gentleman called Malchus. To the surprise of his followers, Jesus condemned this action. He said to His disciples, ‘don’t draw your sword, put it back, for he who lives by the sword, will surely die by the sword’. Christ went ahead to correct the action by performing His last pre-resurrection miracle; picking the severed ear and putting it back.
The expression “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword” is a timeless adage that summarises a fundamental truth about the consequences of one’s actions. It sends a warning to those who adopt a violent or aggressive approach to life that a time comes for them to face violence or its repercussions in return. It is not always about physical violence. The adage also addresses situations where a person relies on illegal or harmful means to achieve their goals. It serves as a reminder that the choices we make in life have consequences, and the actions we take can come back to haunt us.
The words spoken by Jesus Christ on that Thursday evening around 2,000 years ago remain accurate and true to this day. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”. More often, when we use illegal and violent means to achieve our goals, we forget about our actions and we cry bitterly when the same treatment is given to us. It feels good to pull out the sword to slice our enemies and rivals, but when the same sword is turned on us, we begin to play victim. This is the weakness that we have as human beings, we don’t wish anything bad on us, but we wish it on others.
Our readers will remember that what is happening in the Patriotic Front is simply history repeating itself. The only difference is that the aggressors are now the victims. What happened in the 2014 PF succession wrangles following the death of president Michael Sata is what is happening now. Those with a good memory will recall that Mr Lungu ascended to the PF presidency by a bogus convention, outwitting acting president Guy Scott and the same Miles Sampa who was a…
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Lungu must get it in his head that his rise to presidency was not by popularity but by sympathy of the president who had passed on. He is not presidential material and lacks all the parameters of leadership, a gangster yes, but a leader, NO.