"Greater love hath no man than this."

Captain Richard Philips was willing to  lay down his life for his friends.

The pirates off the coast of Somalia were fewer in number than the crew of the USS Bainbridge, but they had the guns. That made them the big dogs. Philips offered himself as a hostage in exchange for his crew's freedom.

Then, he was really the underdog. It was 4 to 1 and the big dogs sill had all the guns.

Richard valiantly attempte escape and was recaptured.

The smart money would have been on letting him go because by now,  4 to 1 had been trumped by U.S. Navy vs. 4 pirates in a rubber dingy. The bad guys were now the underdogs.

Underdogs don't always win – especially when they have been parading around as big dogs and sticking out their chests as bullies of the high seas.

Noone rejoices in loss of life, but what were those guys thinking? Those ships had guns and they had something farmore dangerous, the Seals. Did they think they were negotiating from a position of strength? What did they suppose would happen if they killed the captain?

Now there are 3 dead pirates, one captain who is free, and one pirate in custody for a long,long time. Perhaps he is praying and pleading to be tried and imprisoned in the United States.

The Navy restained itself as long as it could, but the United States had absolutely no intention of abandoning Phillips or of being intimidated.

Sometimes when the big dogs pick on the underdogs, the really big dogs show up and finish things off. I am the last guy to spout a macho line or to be glad when the bad guys die, but this one really hit me between the eyeballs.

There is  a spiritual lesson here – many, but I don't want to be too obvious or trite – except to say- there is always a bigger dog behind the fence when injustice seems to prevail. Now or later, someone is going to open the gate.

It would behoove pirates and bullies to keepthat in mind.

On the Bainbridge,the crew cheered for their hero, captain, and friend who said that he was no hero – the way that real heroes always do.

Read the story.