10:5.2 This thrill wells up from primeval blood
to harm and hurt mercilessly
anyone who poses a threat,
or irritates, or disagrees.
10:5.3 This fighting instinct cruel to all
not only strikes in self-defense
but is strong in many inbred
whose life is spent on the offense.
10:5.4 But it resides in all of us
as intrinsic to our humanness;
and it will rise instinctively
when we are crossed contrarily.
10:5.5 Contrarily in many ways:
from other’s open opposition
to a baby’s irritating cry–
our instinct is to fight it back.
10:5.6 And if already we are vexed
and the other maddens us more,
anger consumes us and we go blind
and strike out in retaliation.
10:5.7 This we do toward those we fear not
especially helpless victims–
we thrill to see them squirm in pain
and fear when under our control.
10:5.8 And then there are those who reject
us out of hand or in disdain;
these are the ones if we had the chance
we’d throttle the life right out of them.
10:5.9 If all goes well we get on fine;
we think we love more than we hate;
yet every time our peace is crossed,
we hate intensely and want to hurt.
10:5.10 And even those who catch themselves
before they go to an extreme,
find themselves instinctively
fighting another’s imposition.
10:5.11 Our fighting instinct protects our life
as well our personal dignity;
yet when provoked personally,
we lose some of our dignity.
10:5.12 So Let us use our fighting will
neither in retaliation,
nor in malice, spite, nor umbrage,
but in self-and-just defense of right.
10:5.12 And in this way our fighting will
will be our honor and not our shame;
for we will do what’s right in love,
and transform the animal to MAN.
10:5.13 And this we know to be the sense
of Christ’s words: Resist not evil:
We fight evil in armor of love ;
whereas we resist it in our hate.
10:5.14 Resistance is friction causing heat —
“anger” psychologically;
and when we1re angered in this way
we fight to ease the agony.
10:5.15 Yet when we fight in right and love
there is no friction of clashing wills:
One will resists from self and hate
The other fights in dignity.
10:5.16 Still, for all this high ideal
of making noble our fighting will,
there still remains a purposed grace
inthe animal, hating self.
10:5.17 This purpose we can never know,
its meaning is even more remote;
still, this we know beyond a doubt:
hate against love is the ruling fact.
10:5.18 It’s natural to severely hate
our weak and mean humanity
when we want-need-desperately
to love another selflessly.
10:5.19 We sink into an abyss of dread
for having breached the bond of love
in an act of stark betrayal
for being cold to another’s need.
The Love Testament 