War

Yesterday I finished reading the January-February issue of Smithsonian called America at War.  Its focus was on the War on Terror, which we have been fighting since the 9/11 attacks.  But within it were articles which touched on the bigger concepts which are encapsulated within "war".  As you know, I am a huge fan of the Smithsonian magazine, so it is with full seriousness that I say that it was one of the best series of articles ever published by this august periodical, and well worth reading should you have the opportunity.

There are articles concerning: a permanently injured veteran, a priest who spent time as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib, a graphic detailing the geographic extent of our military presence, a pictorial of a few of the thousands of non-citizen immigrants currently serving in our military, a review of the disastrous incursion into Somalia which inspired the movie "Black Hawk Down", a story about a war dog back home and the process of his adjustment to civilian life as told by his adopter, an interesting article about what we (physically) leave behind after we occupy a country for a period of time, a brief discussion of transgender individuals currently serving in our military, and finally, a very intriguing article about remembering war through monuments, and the ongoing creation of monuments to those who have served in the War on Terror, which, since it is ongoing, needed a Congressional Act to fund monuments since by definition a war monument could only be erected after a war's end. 

I especially liked the article about the priest at Abu Ghraib.

I also thought it best to read some of the posts I have previously written on the topic of war, before adding a new one to the list.  Of course, I don't mind repeating salient points about a topic every once in a while, but I would prefer a new angle if possible.  After reading the few posts I have already written, and this amazing edition of Smithsonian, I feel confident that there are areas for new comment.

For me, this edition further crystallized my opinion of war by showing its effect on real life people who write about war by living (and sometimes dying) with soldiers, who believe in giving their time (and lives, if necessary) for their country, who are trained to dehumanize the enemy so as to kill more easily, and then be untrained to see people as humans once they are discharged, and who are severely injured while serving their country, not just by enemy devices, but by poorly designed living quarters, and "acceptable loss ratios".

I have often questioned my reluctance to embrace war as a solution for our national differences.  I am always amazed when I read about young men and women who are willing to die for America, as I do not share that feeling.  Is it just cowardice?  As a child I was more frequently a victim of bullying than a bully; do those experience make one more likely to embrace pacifism, and to espouse the teachings of non-violence as given to us by Jesus of Nazareth?  Does being physically strong make one more likely to see physical force as a solution to conflict, knowing success is more likely?  And, if combined with the belief that one is "right", or blessed by god to emerge victorious, does that make war a more palatable solution?

America is the strongest country on earth today.  We have the greatest nuclear capability, most technologically advanced military might, and the ability for precision strikes, with or without boots on the ground, to take out an objective.  It is inconceivable to imagine World War 2 ending as it did without our intervention.  It is a non-starter to think of a world where the Soviet bloc would have triumphed, rather than the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Communist experiment. 

But do these victories guarantee future wins, or even that future efforts will be moral? 

When I read that America is conducting some kind of military intervention, whether it be actual combat troops or advisers or the maintenance of military bases, in approximately 40% of the countries on Earth, it makes we wonder if we have equated might with right.  Or that we do it just because, like the physically strong, we can.

What is truly fascinating is that most people say they don't like bullies.  We do not want them in our schoolyards, in our workplace, in our homes.  We believe in democracy yet so often support rules and laws that equate to bullying those who are different; who dress, worship, love, appear, differently.  We tear up and salute when we see those military caskets at the airport, but we are seemingly at war with each other over political differences, and love it when our side gets to bully the other, in the halls of Congress or at the White House.

War is a mental state.  When it is the go-to solution for all our ills, whether it be by barring those born to our south from the opportunities of our country, or bombing our enemies from above accepting whatever collateral damage to family and innocents that might occur, or screaming at the driver of a car who maneuvered too close to our vehicle, or defending one's home with gunshots before discovering if the intruder is friend or foe, or assuming the young kids of color who just entered your store are there to steal, or by replacing mercy for those in need with condemnation that they must deserve their plight, or by all the everyday incidents where we react with anger and clenched fists as opposed to understanding and an open hand, we are at war. 

Some might say that conflict is ingrained in our DNA.  Fight or flight instinct.  Clearly, that instinct enabled humanity to evolve to this point in time.  But we have progressed from mere tribal beings to more social animals.  We seek inclusion, gain some of our status and self esteem from the associations we forge.  We stop and help those in need to cross a street or pick-up spilled groceries.  We provide care for those born with physical or mental challenges rather than jettisoning them as weak links in the chain of man.  And we sometimes even do these acts of charity for those not like us, those suffering from natural disasters, or debilitating accidents not of their fault.

But when push comes to shove, we so very easily resort to circling the wagons while emphasizing our differences rather than our similarities. 

War is not just combat with bombs and bullets.  War is the reflex which emboldens us to treat others as less than human, exactly the opposite of treating others as you would want to be treated. 

Perhaps it is time to begin, or maybe restart is the better word, the process of choosing peace rather than war as our go-to solution.  To tweet love rather than hatred.  To build mutually profitable relationships rather than walls. 

To stop using the excuse that "they"are not ready for such a Utopian world of peace, that "they" only understand violence, that "they" do not share our love of life, and realize that "they" see us as we see them, and that all of us are "they" to someone else. 

If not now, when? #IFNNW