Monday, April 01, 2013

A General Patton Easter

Lords of Karma and Military Reincarnation � Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog

I've been looking at another history side about odd things, which I should add to the blogroll, and was reminded of something I think I have heard before:  George Patton's belief in reincarnation went so far as to at least speculate that he was the Roman soldier who pierced Christ's side during the crucifixion:
 Patton did write a poem  Through a Glass Darkly, which described these various lives. So Patton seems to suggest, with characteristic modesty, that he had been the soldier who had stabbed Christ on the cross: ‘Perhaps I stabbed our Savior/ In His sacred helpless side./ Yet I’ve called His name in blessing/ When in after times I died.’ The poem includes the words ‘So forever in the future/ Shall I battle as of yore,/ Dying to be born a fighter/But to die again once more’, which might go quite well to a heavy metal beat.

I wonder if that made George a bit sombre and prickly around Easter time?   And anyway, how come George seemed to believe he was always going to be a fighter?  Isn't the point of reincarnation to believe that you can change into something better/different over time, based on past experience?

No comments: