Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Thoughts on Veteran's Day

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing

Where have all the soldiers gone?

Long time ago

Where have all the soldiers gone?

Gone to graveyards every one

When will they ever learn?

When will they ever learn?
~ Where Have All the Flowers Gone by Pete Seeger
War is sometimes a necessary evil. Soldiers deserve our sympathy. We, as a nation-state, have demanded so much of them. Amidst the bravery and sacrifice they are compelled by us to commit acts of evil and depravity. For what else is the deliberate killing of another human being than evil and depraved?

Remember this always and never forget - whatever else war is, war is always evil.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

War is insanity. It's by far the stupidest thing that humans do. Granted, if a group (nation, tribe, whatever) is viciously attacked, self-defense is necessary. But it is still all stupid insanity. Apparently we haven't yet evolved to the point where we can resolve our differences without resorting to killing each other. Nor have we evolved to the point where we can select rational leaders who don't use their power to send young people to fight their wars for them.

And I detest the military mindset. I feel sorry for soldiers. They are trained to be mindless killer robots. No wonder so many have a hard time readjusting to normal society when they get out.