So I sit here and think about all the soldiers that gave their lives for our country. Young boys drafted into terrible situations no one ever wants to experience. Watching their buddies die and then losing their lives as well, or their limbs, or their peace of mind for the rest of their days. Because when anyone comes back from the horrors of war they are changed forever. Our current day heroes are committing suicide in droves. So I ask myself, How do we stir the souls of young men and women (because fighting wars is for the young) to want to do this, to feel compelled to this honorable thing? But if in their training they were to see the actual horror of it, would they really want to go? Can you imagine arms blown off, heads blown off, bodies ripped to shreds? War is not a chance to see the world, it is a trip to hell. My heart breaks for all our soldiers. At least today our veterans are treated with respect. In the ’60s, they were spit on, blamed for a war that was not decided by them. Decided by politicians sitting in a room, encouraged by men whose entire careers/lives are defined by war, by inflicting pain and suffering on others. Yes, there are good reasons to fight, if there is an evil aggressor and we are defending ourselves. But the question is why are there still evil aggressors in the current era? Why do we let our wars go on for so many years? Why can’t we humans break this cycle?
We have politicians today, who think the only answer to solving conflicts is to go to war. We still have people wanting to kill each other in the name of some religion. We have conflicted individuals that manage to get automated weapons to kill a bunch of innocents before they kill themselves. We seem to be a society, a world, that does not understand the miracle of life and how precious is this life. For we know not what happens next, if there is a life beyond this one, yet we so casually dispense death. What I wish for on this Memorial Day is that it not only be a day to honor our heroes who have gone to battle, but a day to say NO MORE TO WAR AND MURDERS.
