If I were an historian, I think an interesting exercise would be to see if I could pinpoint one day in history, just one single precious day, when no country on earth was at war. I think it would be a lot harder to find than any of us would care to believe.
Having said that, most of us have not experienced war firsthand. We see it in the movies, read about it in the news, and hear about it from those soldiers who have come home and are willing to discuss it. And no American alive today has experienced the impact of a war within our own borders.
We cannot comprehend what it must be like to be sitting at home, perhaps having a cup of tea in our bunny slippers, only to look out the window and see soldiers running toward us, intent on rape, death and destruction. We don’t know that razor sharp moment of clarity when we realize that in less than a minute our lives will never be the same. It would be impossible to guess what it must be like to walk for days, painfully aware that people who hate you without even knowing you are at your heels, only to wind up in a refugee camp where you have nothing and are little more than a prisoner of your fate for years to come.
Experiencing of war is the epitome of living in the moment, because your past and your future have been taken away. That’s something you don’t see in the movies much– that concept of the ruin that goes beyond time. They can depict the “now” of war with a fairly brutal accuracy, but what about the once and future impact?
When I think about how war reaches back and destroys the past, it upsets me even more than the brutality of the present. For example,
- The oldest known archeological site on the planet is in Turkey, right on the border with Syria. This has always been a high conflict area. Even more sites are in Iraq. What will become of them? Will we destroy what the sands of time did not already succeed in wearing away?
- When I think of the footage of the 1700 year old Buddha statues that were blown up in Afghanistan by the Taliban in the name of religion, I weep. Those priceless sculptures can never be replaced.
- During times of conflict, historians and archeologists basically pack their bags and go away, never knowing what they will find when they are finally able to return.
- Likewise, the vast majority of the art that was stolen by the Nazis during World War II is still not back in its proper place, and for every piece of art that they stole, they most assuredly destroyed even more. They certainly did their best to wipe out the literature that didn’t meet with their approval.
- You also have to consider the cultural heritage and traditions that are abandoned when entire groups of people are uprooted and scattered or slaughtered outright.
- And then there are the family heirlooms and photographs that get left behind.
- War also breaks the lines of family history. When your parents are killed, you are left with so many unanswered questions about your family, and you have to live with the fact that you can never get those answers.
War also shatters the future. For example,
- During times of war, countries stop investing in their infrastructure. What would be the point?
- Obviously the concept of creating jobs, encouraging invention and innovation, and nurturing foreign investment is relegated to the back burner.
- Education also becomes a low priority when you are just struggling to survive.
- Anger, bitterness, and physical as well as mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress have a long-term effect on societies which cannot be adequately measured, but should not be overlooked.
When war is waged, it’s almost as if someone drops a bomb in the middle of the vast plains of time, and the shock waves go both forward and backward in the continuum. There’s really no wholesale way to recover from that.
We are a belligerent species, so a certain amount of war is inevitable. But when nations choose to deploy troops, they should first rise above our concept of time, and realize that “now” is not all that matters.
The View from a Drawbridge 
Bravo.
Why thank you. 🙂
And yet, there are always those that will rise above, to protect and serve all of us, casting their fate into that destructive wind. As in the movie Monument Men, music, art, animals (the famed Lipenzaners) and other parts of our history survive. Recently, the marbles of Anne Frank, given to a neighbor for safe keeping have risen to the surface. Anne, the neighbor and neighborhood no longer exist, but the world collectively breathed a sigh of amazement that this precious gift from the past has endured into this present time. This hope will carry us into the future. Thank You for always making us think of what was, is and might be.
And thank you, Carole, for always seeing the silver lining when I get cloudy. 🙂
An excellent, thoughtful essay. Thank you.
Awww, thanks Jen! I always value your opinion.
This is the kind of stuff that my hero in the sci-fi books is going to do… because he can go to any dimension in any time… so… yeah… find me some peace… and meet famous people
Finding peace has always been my goal, too.
in space?
Wherever it can be found.
good answer