No Good Guys & Bad Guys
My Dear People,
So, who are the good guys?
And, who are the bad guys?
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The "Redcoats" searched house to house through the countryside looking for locals who had taken up arms against the Crown. A young man named Joel was one of those men, one of the names on the list. Warned that the British were coming, Joel fled into the nearby Congaree Swamp.
While in hiding, Quash, one of Joel's slaves, brought him food; and thus Joel was able to evade capture and continue serving with the local militia in the struggle for American independence.
In thanks for what Quash had done, Joel set him free.
Then, so the story goes, when Quash was old and unable to take care of himself, Joel took him back in and made sure he was cared for until his death.
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So, who are the good guys in that story? And who are the bad guys?
Perhaps the easiest, first: Aren't the British bad guys? Well, even that, is that so simple? Imagine the life of a foot soldier in the British army in the 18th century. As with most soldiers in most places in most wars; as with most people, soldier or not; surely they were trying to get by, trying to make their way in life, trying most of the time, we would hope, to do the right thing.
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Well then, what about this young man Joel? Was he a bad guy or a good guy? Well, for one thing, in terms of the war, we see him as having been on the "right side," the just side. And we can admire the fact that he freed Quash and, in turn, that he took Quash back in when he was infirm.
And yet, on the other hand, there is the blunt, cold fact that this same man named Joel owned other people, that he held human beings in bondage, human beings no less human than you or me: Quash, and then there were, eventually, over a hundred others. I know this because I have seen the inventory of his estate, listing each slave by name. I have seen this inventory; I know the story well; and I have given it some thought, because this man Joel was an ancestor of mine. Joel Adams was his name. Among other things I know about him: he raised a large family; helped build a church; and held local office.
So, was this man named Joel a good guy or a bad guy?
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And how about Quash?
Was he plainly a good guy?
What do we make of the fact that he cooperated with, that he aided, his own "master"?
Do we admire the choice he made?
Do we think he had a choice?
We can wish we knew more about him. (I know I do.)
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To speak of "good guys" and "bad guys" is, of course, childish.
There are no good guys and bad guys. There are only guys.
That is, there are only human beings:
Human beings with choices to make, choices which have consequences, consequences with which we must reckon, one way or the other. Some of the choices we make are admirable, some are abominable, and we are better for recognizing the character of those choices for what they truly are. That being said, God save us from cartoonish talk, and cartoonish ideas, about one another, talk and ideas that do not account for the fullness of our humanity, as imperfect as that humanity is.
We are all human beings. We are all God's children. And God would have us look on one another through his eyes; with, eyes wide open, yes, as well as with kindness, with generosity, and with compassion. Only then can we be delivered from slavery, from war, and from a host of other evils by which, otherwise, we dehumanize one another and ourselves.
This is no more and no less true today than it ever was. And anyway, as Faulkner said, "The past is not dead. It's not even past."
No good guys and bad guys; only God's children making choices. May God guide us in our choices, day by day; and, where we go wrong, and where we have gone wrong in the past, may God help us to make different and better choices now, in the present, choices that bring healing and hope to all God's children, all God's children. And, that we may do so, may God give us both courage and humility in equal measure.
Your brother in Christ,
Wallace+
