> >hmmmm. I've been studying Zen lately, and that "believe in yourself"
> >thing just doesn't wash... I don't think it matters what you think of
> >yourself. You can still die for what you beleive in.
>
> If you don't believe that you have something worthwhile to give to the
> cause, some part of your soul (ergo your soul has to be worth giving, has to
> have value in your eyes alone) then you've died for nothing. Dying in a
> cause and dying for a cause are two different things. The line between them
> is so thin that most people don't see it, but it's there. The only
> difference is how much of yourself you have commited to it, how much invested.
Once again, I don't beleive that it matters if you "/beleive/ in
yourself" You (your soul, or whatever) has value regardless of whether
or not you think it does. And surely, if you are willing to /die/ for
something, you are strong enough to make your death something people
will remember. Actually, there lies your point, right? You have to
beleive that your death will meaningfully contribute to the cause. Your
death. Soldiers dying /in/ a war arn't martyrs bacause their /death/ is
not meaningful to the war, only the fighting they did while they were
alive.
Dying /in/ a cause. Dying /for/ a cause. hmmm. I think you are
right. This is a very important distinction. Anybody can die /in/ a
cause, but to die /for/ a cause indicates that in some way you beleive
your /death/ will aid the cause. That is why Willian Wallace's death
mattered. He would rather /die/ than live in continued slavery to
England. Freedom! -- even if death is the only way.
ERiC