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RE: "Leave Not a Man Behind" (poem) >>> "War-Torn" Trailer ... a Documentary About Heroes & the Price of Heroism (100 Days of Poetry Challenge - Day #1)
I am pleased that PTSD has come to the forefront ... I am a peacenik, Quill. And unapologetic about it. I wish war on no one and wish more people would come to understand that the human mind is not fit for war, violence, and prolong fear. Even if the physical battle is won, the war inside is not and it's brought home and visited upon the survivors and the next generation. The after effects of WWII are still felt today in Europe. War is so expensive and the costs continue to mount long after the physical fighting has ceased. The more people who understand the value of peace for our health and the sheer self-destructive nature of war, the better. I wish healing on minds that suffer.
@prydefoltz,
Pryde, I know you're a peacenik ... and that's fine. But you've studied a lot of history. Who do you think stands between peaceniks, and the wolves that would love to eat them for breakfast? Or, perhaps ... you believe there are no wolves? That you can preach the world into peace. Many before you have tried.
Do you honestly think you abhor war more than either of us do? With respect, can you imagine how silly that sounds to us? I mean no offense, as I greatly respect you, and know you to be sincere. And I mean that. But we've tasted it.
And, whether you like it or not, the wolves are out there ... and poets don't stop them. Soldiers do.
There's an ugliness about humanity that you're refusing to acknowledge. Humanity, as a whole, will never achieve the enlightened state you envisage. History's on my side.
You see the world as it could be, I see the world as it is. There is room for both of us.
PTSD does not just prey on soldiers. And I see the world as it is ... or I would not label myself a peacenik, I would have no need to. I would simply see only peace. The world is many things .... many, many things. What we nurture and promote grows. What we do not ... disappears. the world is always evolving.
The psyche is the result of what has come before. Nurture is much stronger than nature. Within any man or woman is the capacity for savagery or enlightenment. It depends on the teachings he or she receives, or the lack there of, and the environment she must respond to. As humans we far more control over our environment and what we focus on than any other species ever. Again the world is always evolving, humans have some measure of control over how they evolve. I do my best to take some measure of control over how I evolve and offer how I would like to see the world around me evolve.
By the way ... history is not on your side. The world is more peaceful than it has ever been. One is less likely to die a violent death than ever before, including from war. So history and how it is unfolding is most definitely on my side. Just saying.
Again, the world and human nature is evolving.
To the wolves ... honey ... I see them a mile away and avoid them. I teach what I know so that others may learn to do so and stop giving them power and perhaps give the wolves counselling instead.
The real difference between us ... is you see power in violence and I see failure, lost opportunity, and suffering. But now with attention given to PTSD, we are starting to see violence with a little less glory spit polish applied to it. I do NOT glorify war ... at all ... that may be the real difference.
We are all learning and so am I. What is true today, will not be true tomorrow.
But there is certainly room for both of us:)
I think the sad reality is that war in incredibly profitable. Those who control the money lend to both sides and make a hefty "commission" on war. They also just happen to own all the major media outlets, and donate large sums to our political leaders. So if real conflict does not arise, situations have and will be manufactured, that often result in war. If people do not begin to recognize this and stop falling for it, ceaseless wars will continue.
I feel very badly for those who have suffered physically and psychologically on both sides of the field. Its always seems that the pawns and knights are sacrificed for the well being of the kings.
Indeed ... there are a few behind the scenes that profit from war. I imagine the reasoning is ... well, if is going to happen, we might as well benefit from it. But it is a fallacy that war is good for the economy on the whole. It is not. War devastates economies. Countries are generally left bankrupt after waging war. Poverty stems from armed conflict and not prosperity. But profiteers will be profiteers. If we elevate the way we behave then they would have to find another way to profit. The pawns need to get smarter and not buy into fear and hatred. We probably would have a Starbucks on Mars by now if we spent more money enriching the human experience and not trying to end it for those we disagree with.
In my opinion it's a lot more than a "few behind the scenes." Most of the conflicts are created, so that we always have a war. The Gulf of Tonkin incident is a perfect example of this. It was the excuse used to invade Vietnam in the first place. But decades later due to FOIA requests, declassified documents prove that this "event" was a false flag. This is merely the tip of the iceberg.
I 100% agree that war is not good for the economy, perhaps in a very short sighted sense, but ultimately it erodes both parties. Leaving each one further in debt and and a infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt, this only encourages more borrowing of funds. If we want to see the true culprits of these wars, we need only look to those who lend out the money required to wage them. If we ever want peace these people are the ones standing in the way of it.
It is uncomfortable to ponder that such duplicity exists on such a large scale.
Agreed. This is their first line of defense, for few are able to hurdle it. Thank you for the dialog.
You misunderstood ... this does not mean that I am not working for change. The Way is a quiet revolution. Change minds and you change the world. I write and I teach the best I can.