"This was Chamberlain's great mistake at Munich in trying to empathize with Hitler. Priding himself on is own reasonableness and his unwavering belief in the value of achieving consensus, Chamberlain was trying to "understand Hitler's needs." He tried to project himself into, that is, feel for, Hitler's position, so that they could work out a mutual accommodation. It never seems to have occurred to him that there are forces on this planet that, because of their inability or unwillingness to self-regulate, are by nature all take and no give." - Friedman, A Failure of Nerve, p135.
Friedman is right on, except that the problem with the "forces on this planet" is not inability to self-regulate, it is that, by nature, we are sinners, in high rebellion against God and His Law.
But the Hitler-Chamberlain example may cause us to think that this only happens in extraordinary situations where nations and the world are on the brink. Really, it happens in very mundane situations in the home and in community - but when it happens, the results can be devastating to that home or community - they are just not noticed as quickly on the nightly news.
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