To my enemies, from my ego.

I had posted this before on my Facebook page as a note, but after seeing a picture on several friends pages I had to put it here. So here it is unedited and the picture that inspired me to publish it again on the web. 

I am better than you. I have no qualms against saying it. Its not because of a malformed ego. It is a statement of fact. I am better than you. The reasons being I have no need to torture. I can, I have the knowledge. I just choose to be better than you. I have no need to turn people away from my help because of personal bias. I can, I just don't because my parents raised me better than that.

I am better than you because I am also willing to die for my beliefs, but not commit suicide for them. I am not so afraid of the consequences of my actions that I fear seeing how they will turn out. I am not so desperate that I would end my own life on purpose based on a bribe of sexual favors in the after life. I am not so shallow as to believe that by killing people that can not defend themselves will some how bring more meaning to my life.

I am better than you because I am willing to look you in the eye when I take your life, and in the very next breath give shelter and security to your family if they desire it. I am not so wrapped up in hate that I can not break bread with your kin after this is all done, in the school I helped build for them. I have no issues so severe that I feel I need to exterminate everyone you know.

I am better than you because I have tolerance, but can still do my job, and live by my value system. I feel no need to go into your village, your town, your city and preach my own message of hate just so I can have people live in fear of me. I have no need to get them to do my bidding just t make my beliefs more valid.

I am better than you because after I have come in and left you and your fellows broken, I will still contribute to rebuilding your country. I will help those here with water, education, and basic civic needs after we have come in with great aggression. I am not killing people here but saving them. We are educating, or at least offer the opportunity to be educated. We do want your people to have a voice on the world stage, one that is strong and globally heard. You do not need to blow innocent people up to get that.

I am better than you because I am not here to take away your religion. I am not here to preach my own. I am not here to flaunt my beliefs in your face or tell you mine are better. I am not here to kill you if you do not see my way. I am here to stop you from killing others for all those reasons.

I am better than you because I value life, from where ever it came. I value it so much that even if you are hurt and you are no longer trying to kill me or my friends, I will render the same level of care to one of them, to you. I will save your life, even after you tried to take mine.

I am better than you because I am. I am better than you because I am here to ask you to be better than you too, and help you be better than you are now. I do this and ask nothing in return. I do this because I know it will assure the safety of my family, my friends, and my country. It is because of this I know I am better than you.