The Path of the Night
Nul ne peut atteindre l'aube sans passer par le chemin de la nuit.
One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.
Khalil Gibran
The western world woke up this morning with another grief hangover. Unlike our counterparts in the mideast or Africa, massive violent human death isn't a daily occurrence for us.
And maybe this is the lesson ... a taste of what benumbs our brothers and sisters in Iraq or Israel or Darfur.
A reminder that shredded human flesh causes pain -- that a war a half world away costs pain.
A reminder that we inflict pain every day, our armed forces suffer every day, the people who get in the way are not just "collateral damage."
A reminder to politicians and the people who pay them that none of this is free. Even when it's not in our faces, or blood dripping down our own faces, the cost of human conflict is tremendous.
I despise cowards who ignite bombs in crowded places. And I don't think their tactics work. They greatly underestimate human revulsion for this type of brutal gesture, and the way that revulsion erodes sympathy for their cause.
You may have generated a nihilistic reminder of the human cost of war ... but don't believe for a minute that it helps your cause. In the words of Christopher Hitchens (thank you, UrbanChick), "We shall track down those responsible. States that shelter them will know no peace. Communities that shelter them do not take forever to discover their mistake. And their sordid love of death is as nothing compared to our love of London, which we will defend as always, and which will survive this with ease."
I also think we need somehow to find another way, a path other than that we're currently following, in the mideast. Obviously what we've done so far isn't working.
addendum: please check out Seldom Nice Nowadays today (link right)
Today's fragrance: Yosh Omniscent 0.96 with notes of gardenia, Egyptian tuberose, fig, lilac, violet, kush, Tunisian opium, vanilla, sandalwood, basil, clove, geranium, pink grapefruit. So far, I'm getting smoky gardenia. I like it. Hope the opium kicks in. Like, is that transdermal dosing or what?
posted by mireille at 6:23 AM
7 Comments:
As long as the current US administration thinks it can--- and deserves to--- appropriate the oil reserves of other countries while pretending to be only interested in spreading democracy, we are in for all of this carnage and more. The terrorists' tactics are abhorrent. The arrogance, greed,cynicism, duplicity of the Bush administration gives the terrorists the big green light to carry on their murderous attacks. Bush and Co. make the West ever easier to despise, ever more vulnerable.
7:04 AM
War is always destructive. My father, who is a Vietnam vet, likes to say there are no good wars, but there are ones that become necessary to fight. I am saddened to think upon our gov't actions to fight unnecesary war, when there is one certain enemy still out there we have yet to capture, and NEED to. It's not to say that his capture would have averted the tragedy of yesterday, but it certainly would have hampered his organization's efforts.
8:08 AM
Excellent thoughts, M!
I was thinking yesterday how suicide bombs have been a daily occurance in Israel for at least 4 years now, and during the past 2, have been a frequent occurrance in Iraq as well. Lost lives, through this method, no matter where they occur are a tragedy. To some extent it saddens me that these very acts seem to be minimized in the middle-east more than emphasized.
Thank you for bringing this point up.
I am back to blogging, and have a new provocative post up today.
11:24 AM
well articulated (as ever), M
UC
x
1:08 PM
Good and thoughtful post as usual. I agree with what you say.
1:50 PM
I hope to be one day be as wise as you are M!
8:01 PM
Yes, well said.
8:33 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home