War:

Once upon a LONG time ago, someone once said in a now infamous video “war, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” 

That observation has merit, but it’s unfortunately not accurate. The “War Machine” is a vast array of companies, consulting agencies, sycophants, and others all profiting from the sales of tools, technologies, and all sorts of implements that are designed to kill, harm, maim, and decisively give “them” the edge.

War is won based on the highest budget these days, especially if that budget has a healthy dose of digital warfare components stacked in the purchase column.

However, we’re not here talking about this because of the digital components, we’re here because of a little girl.

And, to a lesser extent her mother.

Both were over at the house recently, both came, stayed for dinner, hung out, took time to just (hopefully) unwind, pause, breathe, and in the eyes of the child, a moment to be safe, giggle, play, and ignore the world around her.

Both are from a region that’s being systematically eradicated block by block, road by road, person by person. Eradication taking many forms from forced relocation, to removal, to simply blowing them up where they live (or lived in many cases) Both are in the US for a short time to hopefully help them regain a little health and ability to reintegrate back into that world. The remainder of their family is still in the region, they’re not where they used to be, and their location looks more like a World War One battlefield than a village with families.

Why are they here? Why are then not taking up arms, defending their region, or at least sheltering in place until the next bombing run, or house-to-house clearings?

They’re here to have surgery and help.

The mother needs her arms looked at, rebuilt, reconstructed, and a lot of things put back to where they should be, because she was holding and shielding her child when the bomb went off. The young one is here because she needs legs. Prosthetic ones in this case because that very bomb her mother was shielding her from removed her legs.

That bomb.

Dropped on a mother and child whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or rather to be in a place deemed a “shelter location” by the opposing forces until they apparently arbitrarily decided it otherwise.

Unfortunately, this type of scenario is happening the world over every day, but in this case the consequences came to the door for dinner, and (for the little one) to play with the resident 9-year-old.

The daughter?

She has adapted, she smiles, laughs and gets around on what’s left of her legs (both lost around the knee joint) and happily reveled in the attention and Lego’s that the 9-year-old shared. She’s due back to the hospital to continue to train on her prosthetics, but for now a moments respite from that world, and a young kid simply being a kid.

Here’s the challenge though. That young girl will (Inshallah) grow up, she might have a family of her own and then will have to explain to her kids, and her grandkids what happened, how it happened, why her brother also was shot or blown up/injured (my language skills still need some TLC) and has the marks to live with too, why their grandmother’s arms are scarred, and why someone, somewhere decided that their lands should not belong to them. Our actions today will have far reaching consequences generations in the future unless we step away from this path in many places around the globe and decide that war simply isn’t the solution.

Or is it?

The age-old world of “if you want peace, prepare for war” worked (somewhat) during the Cold War in the late 40’s through to 1991. Sure, we had, between all of us enough weapons to destroy the world multiple times over but we never pushed that button. Oh yes, behind the scenes we did a whole lot of espionage, subterfuge, and there’s enough bodies buried across Eastern and Western Europe to fill a morgue, but rarely did we indiscriminately kill innocent women, children, or relief workers directly in conflict between the two superpowers. (I AM going to acknowledge here that OUTSIDE of direct conflict the two superpowers managed to kill somewhere around 20 million people in those years by supporting wars in developing countries, and YES that did include innocents, a LOT of them.)

So, war?

It’s great if it’s NOT on your doorstep! I mean you get all the benefits of capitalism, with none of the bloodshed, you can send money, weapons, support, and a hearty high five with no conscience. RIGHT up to the point that a young kid, blown up by a bomb that you indirectly purchased, arrives on your doorstep to have dinner.

I don’t have answers, I’m not preaching from a position of innocence either. Having been deployed in numerous places around the world I have taken part in my fair share of battles both known and still shrouded in red tape, I have had to pick up pieces of human bodies after they trod on a mine or were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have blood on my hands from doing what we could to protect others. I DO however know that what is being done is wrong. Not only now, but for the future. Short of wiping an entire nation, people, land, or place out entirely, as well as erasing all signs of it around the world, and still trying to claim it’s being done in defense the problem will only get worse. However, until we, the people stand up and ask for a better solution, or options that don’t involve losing ANY more innocent lives I unfortunately don’t see an end to any of this senseless violence anywhere it’s being perpetrated.

Maybe, just maybe the young girl will grow up in a different world, we can but hope.

‘all for now

Chris