For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Even the most significant and immovable things in my life, the mountains of my existence, seem unstable at their very foundation. The foundational ideas and values that permeate society and drive our culture, these massive mountains are burning. A culture begins to crumble when that which underlies it begins to disintegrate. And that is precisely the problem: once unleashed within a society, hell begins to "consume the earth." As the preaching of hatred of the other increases, the very foundations of our larger life are set on fire by hell.
And if the roots of the mountains can burn, then the earth itself can be consumed by hell. May we learn both the joy of vigorous, healthy argumentation AND the joy of civilized respect for honest disagreement. For only through self-respect that grows to deep respect for others, can the fires of hell begin to be assuaged within a society.
