- Essays on Lingua Lincoln -

- No Loyalist -

by Lincoln Sayger

This article was produced through the support of my Patreon patrons.

Part I

As Wayfarers, we will often encounter rebellion and deviant behavior in the lives of the King's subjects. Given that we are not the King's soldiers, how should we approach these situations?

First, we must adjust our mindset to be in line with the truth of this matter. Only then can we examine how a Wayfarer approaches deviance from the King's way.

The very first thing we must remember is, that there were never any loyalists in this realm. From the very start of the rebellion, every man, woman, and child has willingly stepped over to the side of the rebellion and internally overthrown the rightful King of the realm in treasonous acts undertaken with full knowledge of their disloyalty. In other words, you are not a loyalist bringing amnesty to the rebels. You are a rebel who has received amnesty and is charged with bringing that same amnesty to others of the same ilk.

The second thing we must recall is, that deviance is not the problem, as such. Deviance is merely a symptom of the rebellion we undertook, which is still going on in the hearts of many rebels. For this reason also, attacking the specific deviance is unlikely to result in the change we desire or the fulfillment of the King's command that the rebel should receive amnesty. Thus, it is a failed strategy we should recognize and avoid.

The third thing of which we must be mindful is, that deviance does not disqualify a rebel from receiving the King's amnesty, nor does it change or lessen our duty as the King's servants to care for and love them. Nor, indeed, is it our place to decide that someone should not be given every opportunity to accept the King's gracious offer of amnesty.

The fourth thing we must understand is, that deviance may be a symptom of more than willful rebellion, though it is sometimes simply a rebellious choice. Sometimes, it is a symptom of confusion, and that confusion is not always over the issue of the individual's deviant behavior. So, rebuking an individual's confusion is rarely an appropriate way to approach their deviance. Nor, in fact, should we approach the deviance directly. That is not a way to win rebels to the wisdom of accepting amnesty and obedience but an incitement to riot against the King's servants in defense of their decisions.

Rather, we should always approach the rebel as a person, as a subject of the King who happens to be in rebellion but also qualifies for, and is due the offer of, amnesty and repatriation in full, just as you yourself were repatriated and given amnesty.

But we will discuss the details of that approach in another article.

Want me to write for your publication on a topic of your choice? Want to print this in your publication? Click here.