Should You Always Turn the Other Cheek?
Should You Always Turn the Other Cheek? When grace disarms and when it endangers Is forgiveness a weakness, or a powerful tool for transformation? This question sits at the heart of the age-old dilemma: when wronged, should we retaliate or rise above? The phrase “turn the other cheek” invites us to consider whether non-retaliation is naive or profoundly strategic. This post explores the roots, relevance, and real-world power of this principle in personal, professional, and political life. The Origins of Turning the Other Cheek The phrase originates from the Sermon on the Mount in the Christian New Testament. Jesus’s instruction to “turn the other cheek” when struck was revolutionary for its time. It challenged the lex talionis, or law of retaliation (“an eye for an eye”), and instead proposed a radically different path: disarm aggression with dignity. Rather than advocating passivity, many scholars argue that this act is a form of nonviolent resistance. It shifts the power dynamic, str...