Stand Firm for Righteousness

Gordon L. Anderson

Throughout human history, people out of fear and greed have sought to impose their own form of peace on others. This is not true peace, one that treats everyone from the point of view of God or an impartial spectator.

The idea of Headwing Philosophy can be used to bridge the gaps between various interests in modern politics within nations by providing a set of values that include the best of both conservative and liberal ideals. It also can inspire a new respect for international law by reference to universal truths that transcend all human political institutions, domestic and international.

Human beings are ultimately subject to both the laws of nature and to the just laws of society. The laws of nature–physics, biology, etc.–are given to us and can be understood by the study of science and history. The just laws of society are developed from philosophy, history, and a spiritual sensibility that views all human beings with the love a true parent has for his or her children. The Law of Nations is an expression of the philosophy of society as it has developed over centuries of human experience. It is not arbitrary and should not be violated lightly. However, no human expression is an absolute expression of truth. Every society faces new changes and developments. Therefore it is necessary at times for us, like Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, to stand firm for righteousness when laws are unjust, even in the face of peril to oneself.

Such leadership is needed at times, but especially today in our world, which is looking for moorings as it faces spiritual and moral relativism.

–Gordon L. Anderson [“Headwing Philosophy and the Law of Nations”].