Traveling to countries where democracy and social equality were unheard of, was a huge struggle for me mentally and emotionally. I struggled with this reality and still have yet to understand just WHY peace and freedom are so hard to come by. We (Americans) are the minority when it comes to these two SO commonly taken advantaged of liberties. We un-knowingly take advantage because we DON'T know life outside the heaven gates we sanction in. We stick to our comfort zones, utilize our freedoms and live life liberally. Most of the time we never consider the concept of peace and freedom because we’ve never known different. As Americans, we enjoy the fruits of life by most of the time ignoring what is REALLY happening in the world while others DEVOTE the sanctity of their lives for you to do so. Some pay the ultimate price for defending freedom, while others return with visible scars of war.
I want to believe that it is possible to achieve this vision of world peace, where ideals of freedom, peace, and happiness are among and within all nations, but I don’t know where there is room to be optimistic when most of us just DON’T CARE. We are entrenched in a war with no decisive ending. We are involved in the worst type of war, a war that is almost impossible to define. We don’t know who is doing the fighting and who is the main topic. We hope to democratize a nation whose motives are to demolish anyone who doesn’t follow the same beliefs. How are we supposed to create a common ‘peace’ when the ideals of global harmony are different everywhere? It’s an impossible idea to tackle when global peace is not the common concern among nations and groups.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Part I: Is Peace Possible....
"United we must stand." "We must fight for our freedom." "We must protect our country."...and we HAVE! We’ve sent our military over seas to defeat and defend our beliefs. Having a boyfriend in the Marines gave me all the more pride and respect for our president, his Commander in Cheif. But once Brett was sent to Iraq in August of this year, my prior reasoning for being in Iraq ALL changed. I thought of how many men like him have fallen through the years, how many have died on foreign soil and how many foxholes were now soldiers graves. Freedom is not free and so when I received news that he was being deployed to Iraq, the ENTIRITY of my being CHANGED.
Being in a military relationship has made me wonder if peace, in its denotative manner, is actually possible. In the world today the word "peace" seems to be used by the giant leaders of the world in every other sense except in the one which it coveys primarily. It is most often used for a mere absence of war. More intriguing is the use of the word when one big power uses it to describe the potential ending to a tragedy. We have used the word ‘peace’ while piling up sophisticated war weapons, including the nuclear, saying we "must use it in order to preserve peace in the world!" How is that "peace?" What they are really saying is, "I am obliged to do this in order to destroy any other power threatening to destroy mine!" It's a powertrip...a way to threaten and dismantle anyone who challenges a particular power. I was reading an article on the War in Iraq and it mentioned an ancient Roman sort of proverb that said: “If you want peace prepare for war!” In this, one can easily see, there is nothing of peace at all. Interesting how the world has not progressed very much from the times and situations in which the Romans lived. If we ask ourselves if peace is possible between groups and nations, it is nearly impossible not to answer with the unfortunate response of NO! Wars and conflicts are inevitable in today's world. From the beginning of history we have been engaged in ethnic wars, religious and civil wars... the list goes on. There are so many factors that are standing in the way of progressing to a “peaceful” world...
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfngWqqzgM
Being in a military relationship has made me wonder if peace, in its denotative manner, is actually possible. In the world today the word "peace" seems to be used by the giant leaders of the world in every other sense except in the one which it coveys primarily. It is most often used for a mere absence of war. More intriguing is the use of the word when one big power uses it to describe the potential ending to a tragedy. We have used the word ‘peace’ while piling up sophisticated war weapons, including the nuclear, saying we "must use it in order to preserve peace in the world!" How is that "peace?" What they are really saying is, "I am obliged to do this in order to destroy any other power threatening to destroy mine!" It's a powertrip...a way to threaten and dismantle anyone who challenges a particular power. I was reading an article on the War in Iraq and it mentioned an ancient Roman sort of proverb that said: “If you want peace prepare for war!” In this, one can easily see, there is nothing of peace at all. Interesting how the world has not progressed very much from the times and situations in which the Romans lived. If we ask ourselves if peace is possible between groups and nations, it is nearly impossible not to answer with the unfortunate response of NO! Wars and conflicts are inevitable in today's world. From the beginning of history we have been engaged in ethnic wars, religious and civil wars... the list goes on. There are so many factors that are standing in the way of progressing to a “peaceful” world...
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfngWqqzgM
His Love Back Home....
What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. The truth behind this very applicable saying has never brought more truth to my life than the moment I invested my love into a military relationship. Anyone enveloped in a military relationship knows the deep sacrifice you make for that individual. For all of you that have family, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, or wives overseas know that WAR is NOT just about sacrifice or what is being filtered through the media. It is about what war has ALWAYS been about: people, loss, tragedy, loneliness, and the brutality of being ripped away from your loved ones and having your loved ones ripped away from you. For those of you losing faith in these atrocious times, please know that love CAN exist and last even under the most love-LESS circumstances.
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