They Made A Desert, And Called It Peace

Desert, originally uploaded by andebos.

"Among free men, there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their cause and pay the costs." -Abraham Lincoln

Perhaps to its detriment, this blog has never had a stated purpose or intent to its content. I often restrain from using it as a political booth, or religious grand stand, or personal opinion box. Rather, if there is any intent, be it subconscious or purposeful, this intent is most likely a celebration of life and timeline of the events I, and others, share in the sphere in which we find ourselves. Today though, I am hard pressed as I see before me a dangerous road that, whether directly or indirectly, shapes the destiny of all of us, even if we are unwilling to acknowledge the changes already set in motion. Lately, in many conversations I have had, the issue of our government's present course of action is mentioned...sadly, I confess to the inadequacy of my citizenship, at my lack of knowledge, even at my lack of interest and sympathy to these events. However, we cannot allow the ill made decisions of our past dictate a continuation of ill decisions in our future. I've tried to think long and hard at this issue of violence, and war, and inevitable suffering. There is suffering in the world, that is clear, whether it is on a large scale, affecting all of mankind, or on the day to day scale affecting only our moods - there is suffering. Deciphering the meaning of this suffering is meaningful, but it is not my intent today, rather I acknowledge that suffering is real, and it is always present. I would focus my intention not on what the meaning of suffering is but that our current suffering is meaningful. On the meaning of suffering I can only offer this, "God, whose law it is that he who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God." Pretending to understand war, or the suffering that accompanies such events is beyond me and in the truest sense, arrogant, foolish, and plain cruel to comment on the effects of those who do suffer. Nonetheless, feeling some sense of suffering I understand and can say that if we are to purposely suffer, I think it is vital, yes even mandatory, to ask the meaning of our suffering. In World War II I believe most men and women would think themselves sufferers, but would also express the need to place themselves upon the pedestal of suffering. Their cause was for a cause bigger than themselves, and while not all the details were immensely clear, they understood the greater good only came through their suffering.

It is my belief that man will suffer but even greater than this that man will choose suffering for in it he understands that only through his own suffering does he lessen the current and future suffering of his fellow man. In this kind of suffering, this giving of oneself for a clear and necessary good, men will judge their own hearts and motivations for entering into suffering, and, my belief, will accept the suffering through the Grace of God, and none of us should think that the suffering is easy, or does not even cause horrid tortures upon the soul. The kind of suffering I see before us does not fit into this category. The kind of suffering I see before us is not one where man can clearly judge the heart. The suffering I see before us is one that is not even clear in meaning. I do believe that in some eternal sense the suffering that is happening will be redeemed for some greater good, but there is suffering that cannot be redeemed... rather the individuals who created the suffering must understand that the burden of suffering they cause will be heavily ladened upon them in their own lives. I fear for this kind of suffering, the kind whose meaning is unclear, for possibly hidden behind this suffering are evils we cannot fathom, and can only so long endure. Man will only so long suffer when the suffering has no greater meaning for our society. That is the suffering I see before us today. I fear for this present course, I fear for the future it brings before us, I fear for the people we ought to become because of it, I fear for the world we pass on after it. "Civilizations come and go. Great powers used to survive at the crest of their wave for several centuries. Now we will be lucky to have several generations where our power can make the difference in helping the world survive. And here we are - throwing our men, our dreams, our power into the [desert], and no one will ever understand why we did it." It is tough for me to believe that one man or woman can change a world which "yields most painfully to change," yet it is said that "many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the thirty-two-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal." Today I am not writing to give solutions to the problem, for I have none and admit I am a man who does not know all the details, for that is part of what makes the suffering meaningless, and so the possible solutions elude me for lack of knowledge and to this day, lack of sympathy, but I urge you to take my stance of saying, no more. The world can no longer endure this motivation of suffering. Violence just breeds more violence and someone must say, no more. For what society can live in a world controlled by fear? What generation can pass on a world where freedom is exhibited through the shrouds of death? I see the confrontation before us and in the end I do see peace, sadly I see peace, for it will be said of the United States, "They made a desert, and called it peace." Whether it happens during this President's role or the next, we as a society must take a new course, for this one, like Vietnam, have failed us at too great a cost. In time we will judge ourselves and the world we pass down to the generations to come - the vision of this future is bright, but we must take control of it now and begin to raise again our ideals, our traditions, and our hopes - it is a delusion to think peace comes from domination, it is my belief that peace can only grow, it cannot be forced, and it is only grown through cooperation, strength, and love. The love that is loyalty, hope, creativity, order, respect for life, encouragement, and support. Only working together can we hope to change our world, which, in time, will affect even our daily lives - even if it does not affect them now. Mr. President, find a way to end this war...if not for our sake, or the sake of the children who suffer, then for the sake of your own heart and the desert you are creating there.