Maggie's Farm

The Endless Ages of Purim:

 The story of the Megillah, the Scroll of Esther, is the story of how Mordechai, the descendant of the first Jewish king of Israel, snubbed the Grand Vizier of a multicultural empire by refusing to bow to him. The obstinate Benjaminite so infuriated the Vizier that he plotted to kill all the Jews.

The smart thing to do would have been to bow to Haman. To invite him to AIPAC and let him give a pre-written speech and then give him a standing ovation. Then the important official might have been willing to help out the struggling Jews of the Second Commonwealth in Israel. Instead the narrow-minded fanatic offended Haman. And the angry Agagite decides to strangle the newly reborn Second Commonwealth of Israel and all the other Jews throughout the Persian Empire...

Addendum: After reading this essay for the third time, I hear/see the historical idea of Christians, "in the world, but not of it." The Christian sees himself as a sojourner, a Pilgrim, through time too.  Empires and nations come and go.

 In Sushan, the wine is plentiful, the bazaars are never closed and the empire will never fall.