Praxis

One of the theological terms to which I return is ‘praxis’. It has other meanings from other disciplines, but in theology it refers to the movement between action and reflection or reflection and action. One does not act without taking time for reflection and one does not reflect without moving into action. The one is not better than the other for reflection without action is like a fly trapped in amber. It looks nice but is dead. And action without reflection is flailing around without direction, much may happen, but it doesn’t affect change.

I come to it again as I think about the Bush administrations use, misuse, and denial of using the phrase ‘stay the course.’ Stay the course is a nice sound-bite, but totally irrelevant to actually fighting a war. The objectives need to be defined and can certainly be labeled under staying the course, but the actual tactics to achieve those objectives must change as needed. Are the tactics being used in Iraq increasing the safety of those in Iraq and reducing the threat of terrorism both in Iraq and in the world? Yes or no. Even if ‘yes’ can those tactics be improved?