A Hometown GrievesThe price of war, like everything else in today’s world, has sky-rocketed. It’s no longer an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but thousands of eyes for an eye—and thousands of lives spent can never bring back the lives originally lost—on 9/11, or at any other time in history. There was an old song/thought years ago in the hippie/Viet Nam war days, “Give peace a chance.” I’ve heard it said that peace/love doesn’t work. Apparently, neither does war. And it’s extremely costly.
I seldom state my beliefs about war vocally/publicly because I don’t have an “answer”--an “instead of war”. But a while back, my son told me a little “what if” story: What if, every day, you drive down a road that’s always been, and you come to bridge that’s always been. And what if one day, you drive down the road to the bridge that’s always been, and you find that the bridge is out. You need to let people know, because someone could get hurt—especially at night—if they are unaware the bridge is out. So you stop someone and say, “The bridge is out.” What if they say, “So, how do I get there now? What’s the alternative route?” What if you haven’t figured out another way? You’re not obligated to know another way, but you are obligated to say, “The bridge is out.”
War is the “bridge that’s out”. It’s outlived its usefulness. We have to realize that it doesn’t work, and the cost is too high, and we have to find another way. Civilization is evolving to another level—human consciousness is rising. We won’t make it to the next place if we keep using the old, worn out tools. We need to realize that we are now a global community. Those people over there are our brothers and our sisters. We need to let go of our tribal, independent identity that keeps saying “me first and only me". We have to know it’s not about us vs. them; it’s about us. Period. All of us.
This war has finally touched me in a place that I have to say, “Enough.” A dear friend of mine lost her 19-year-old grandson this past Tuesday in Iraq. If old men want and still need to fight wars, then they should be the ones that go fight. I’m tired of sending our young men and women to fight old men’s battles. The cost is too high. No one is winning this thing. It’s time to say, “We made a mistake,” and get out of this war. We have to spend our energy—our dollars, as well as our young people’s lives, hopes, and dreams—finding another way.
I seldom state my beliefs about war vocally/publicly because I don’t have an “answer”--an “instead of war”. But a while back, my son told me a little “what if” story: What if, every day, you drive down a road that’s always been, and you come to bridge that’s always been. And what if one day, you drive down the road to the bridge that’s always been, and you find that the bridge is out. You need to let people know, because someone could get hurt—especially at night—if they are unaware the bridge is out. So you stop someone and say, “The bridge is out.” What if they say, “So, how do I get there now? What’s the alternative route?” What if you haven’t figured out another way? You’re not obligated to know another way, but you are obligated to say, “The bridge is out.”
War is the “bridge that’s out”. It’s outlived its usefulness. We have to realize that it doesn’t work, and the cost is too high, and we have to find another way. Civilization is evolving to another level—human consciousness is rising. We won’t make it to the next place if we keep using the old, worn out tools. We need to realize that we are now a global community. Those people over there are our brothers and our sisters. We need to let go of our tribal, independent identity that keeps saying “me first and only me". We have to know it’s not about us vs. them; it’s about us. Period. All of us.
This war has finally touched me in a place that I have to say, “Enough.” A dear friend of mine lost her 19-year-old grandson this past Tuesday in Iraq. If old men want and still need to fight wars, then they should be the ones that go fight. I’m tired of sending our young men and women to fight old men’s battles. The cost is too high. No one is winning this thing. It’s time to say, “We made a mistake,” and get out of this war. We have to spend our energy—our dollars, as well as our young people’s lives, hopes, and dreams—finding another way.
1 comment:
The "bridge is out" story is enlightening. We don't have to have all the answers to understand part of the problem. GOod reminder.
Susan
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