I have very strong feelings about war and basically – I’m strongly anti-war. While the violence that occurs during war is temporary and for a “good cause” (if there even is one), the evil the violence leaves behind is inevitably permanent . . . that being said, I realize war is unfortunately inescapable.
My personal feelings on such matters of violence can easily be summed up with this Buddhist sentiment: Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world; it is appeased by love. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful place if all the hearts of the world were appeased by love? I know. I’m a dreamer, bite me.
Anyhow, I’ve been reading blogs about what Memorial Day means to each of us all morning, and I thought I’d post my own . . . then, after reading my brother-in-law’s post, I decided I couldn’t say it better than him, so with my sentiment – here are Doug Masson’s thoughts on Memorial Day:
Memorial Day is a day to honor the dead who have died in military service to our country. Gifts impose duties upon the recipient. In fact, in some cultures, you could do great offense by giving a gift that exceeded the recipient’s ability to reciprocate. I’m not sure how you adequately respond to a gift of this magnitude. But, I have some ideas.
First, simply honor the sacrifice. As I tell my kids, never underestimate the power of “thank you.”
Second, the military in our country serves the civilian political authority. This gives us an opportunity and a civic duty. Keep informed and object to the extent you’re able when the civilian authority proposes to use the military in ways that aren’t necessary to “defend our freedom,” as they like to say. If the policy in question isn’t worth killing and dying for, possibly the military shouldn’t be involved.
Third, (and to be honest, I’m not sure there is any help for this), it would be nice if we could stop our politicians from using the trappings of patriotism and military service for partisan advantage. Use of flags, love of country, and our military can mean short term gain for the politician who is able to appropriate the “good will” associated with these things. But, the long-term effect is for these symbols to become tainted by association with the partisan using them. For example when I see a flag and hear the word “freedom,” I start thinking of the disastrous policies of George W. Bush who liked to wrap himself in such things. He’s hardly the only one, but his branding efforts seemed especially vigorous.
That’s short term stuff. We need to remember the patriots who died in the Revolution to found the country; the soldiers who fought the British invasion in 1812; the Union soldiers who preserved the Union against treason in defense of slavery; and the Greatest Generation who fought the evil of the Nazis and the aggression of the Empire of Japan. But our reverence needs to be tempered by the realization that soldiers’ lives have also been spent on efforts that were, at best, of ambiguous moral character even if the soldiers’ personal efforts were valiant. Among others: our war against Mexico for territory; our war against the various Indiana tribes for territory; our war of empire against Spain premised on sketchy evidence about destruction of the Maine; our efforts in World War I where neither side seemed especially virtuous; any number of skirmishes in Central America that primarily benefited the United Fruit Company; and, of course, Viet Nam. (I didn’t forget the Korean War, but I’m not entirely certain which side of the ledger to put it on.)
So, thank you to all of the soldiers who have died in service to this great country of ours. Our country would not be what it is today without them. It is up to us as citizens to see that that willingness to serve and sacrifice is used wisely in the future.
A big thank you to all the soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrafice for peace in our courtry.
Great post, Susan, and very well put by both you and your brother-in-law. I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Enjoy your day off!
LOVED THE POSTS!
Amy’s got a very insightful level-headed hubby there.
The US has been involved in very few wars that were “for a good cause.” Mostly they were to feed the military industrial machine or build empire. But, I know you know that. 🙂
To me, there are no good causes for war. None at all.
Hitler?
In a perfect world it would never happen. We don’t live in a perfect world and I ain’t Mother Teresa. If someone threatens me or my family, I’ll kick their ass. But, in a perfect world that wouldn’t be necessary.
Thank you for sharing this with us. You’re right: your brother-in-law gives us much to consider.
Good ideas. I especially like the idea that we can honor our soldiers, living and dead, by holding the politicians who put them in harm’s way to task. Living in a military community has certainly put new perspectives on me as I see the children of soldiers who have to leave their family to do their jobs. However, I can’t stand people who use the words “freedom, patriotism” and the flag just to make them seem like better candidates.
Loved it. This was the best Memorial Day post I’ve ever seen.
While I agree with Sharon that there are situations where you really do have to fight a war, I am really PO’ed at the Politicians eager to go into Iraq, but are not screaming about the US deficit. Lives & money lost in a war that didn’t make the US or most of the World safer.
Oops, I meant “are now screaming about the US deficit.”
My oldest son just came off of his 4 years of active Duty for his Army enlistment. He was in Iraq for a while, but in a quiet area.
Big-hearted thinking and beautiful writing!
Nazis would be a good cause, although I like Quentin Tarantino’s ending best.
A great and thought-provoking post. Thank you.