Here and there, the wounded are attended, while the victors shout, "Huzzah!"
The scene must somehow resemble the rolling hills of Gettysburg, Pa. in the early part of July, 1863. Desperate, dedicated men, driven to the edge of humanity, were locked in a ferocious battle to win at all costs. Finally, after all the smoke and noise and confusion, there was an eerie quiet.
Scattered across a sloping wheatfield and along a rocky ridge line lay thousands of once proud men, true to their cause, now crumpled in grotesque angles. The lucky ones died quickly. Many others, horribly wounded, lay pleading for help as too few came to numbly walk among them, offering what little solace they could.
Historians make a convincing case that it was worth it. The Union was ultimately saved. History reports facts, however, not possibilities. Like most wars, this one should never have taken place. Through monumental arrogance, ignorance and miscalculation, a relatively small number of wrong-headed individuals perpetuated one of history’s bloodiest periods.
It wasn’t the first, nor, in recent history, the last such occurrence. What made it so horrible was that all the fighting was amongst ourselves.
In the personal battle between steamy belligerence and cool reasoning, volatility flails about until it finally exhausts itself, inured to its consequences. Only then is reason allowed a word. It is possible for men to solve their issues through cool reasoning, but not nearly so self satisfying and immediate as venting rage.
When the great Civil War finally came to an end, it was a long way from over. Civil and personal destruction lingered on for decades. It should have been an eternal lesson learned.
Of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated soldiers on both sides, how many, do you suppose, would have been able to resolve their differences without such carnage? A great many, I dare say.
America, was born under the sword, and despite a brief early renaissance of profound reasoning, has always found individuals willing, if not anxious, to take one up. To some, it is the only way they trust. The great right to defend oneself assumes an enemy, however, and enemies are often in the eye of the beholder.
It now appears that what passes for politics in America, finding only frustration in attacking foreign countries and home-grown policies, has turned once again upon itself. Oh, how we do love war, and family war is the sweetest.
It is also the meanest and most destructive. No hold is barred. No quarter is spared. No mercy granted until the last drumbeat. Soldiers in combat at least operate under a universal code of engagement which prohibits inhumane actions. Politics are under no such constraint.
Sadly, it is a proven fact that it is far easier and more likely for most people to be attracted to a negative attack than a positive address. No sense debating or moralizing about it. It’s simply an observed phenomenon.
During the past campaigning, how many ads did you hear which only listed the high qualifications for their candidate? How many debates did you hear in which the candidates talked earnestly about real challenges and why they are challenges and explained what actions can actually be taken to meet them? If they talked about them at all, it was usually in a context of quick and easy labeling, while they mostly harped upon how their opponent was a scurrilous dog with no qualifications or worse.
This is no condemnation of either side of the fray. The odor comes from wherever the manure was spread, and it was widely spread. According to this years’ political advertising, there isn’t a qualified candidate to be found to fill any post at any level.
No matter the voting outcome, we will be ruled by scoundrels, Not very comforting in times of trouble, I’m afraid.
In a time of huge rancor over debt and spending, it is estimated that around $3.5 billion dollars was spent on political advertising. This proves, I suppose, that spending and debt are only problems if you disagree with their intent. My spending is just fine and justified, while yours stinks. WE should both be heavily invested in communication companies, however. They are beneficiaries either way.
Ah, well. As the popular saying goes, “It is what it is.” Whether we are on the brink of a new renaissance or only witness to the asylum being taken over by inmates, time will tell. The Mayan calendar indicates it will all change in 2012, anyway. It doesn’t indicate, however, whether that’s a good thing or not.
