Do not wish ill for your enemy, plan it. De inimico non loquaris male, sed cogites
1. What, if any, exception should there be to the first commandment in the war on terror: Thou shalt never negotiate with terrorists?
2. What are some of your own “rules to live by?”
3. In THE FIRST COMMANDMENT, Brad suggests that “all that was necessary for evil to triumph was for good people to do nothing.” Where have you witnessed this parable in your life? What could you have done/did you do?
4. Jean Stevens (Meg’s neighbor in Lake Geneva) shares this wisdom with Scot: “Being happy boils down to three things. Something to do. Someone to love. And something to look forward to.” How would you boil down happiness? What do you do, love, look forward to?
5. Scot imposes penance on himself at the end of the book for all the pain his loved ones suffered for their association with him. What makes you feel guilty? When and how have you imposed penance on yourself?