"God is my shepherd
So nothing shall I want
I rest in the meadows
Of faithfulness and love
I walk by the quiet waters
Of peace.
Shepherd me, O God
Beyond my wants
Beyond my fears
From death into life."
Marty Haugen, Shepherd Me O God (Psalm 23)
Every empire in its official discourse has said it is not like the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort. And, sadder still, there always is a chorus of willing intellectuals to say calming words about benign or altruistic empires, as if one shouldn't one's eyes watching the destruction and the misery and death brought by the latest 'mission civilisatrice.' Edward W. Said