War is an old business. It always carries with it the stench of death and destruction, of humans and their cathredals of civilization, but, as important, of other species and their natural habitats.
Appreciated reading your piece, Perry. The quotes give me goosebumps. Thank you for it. I was a teacher to refugees from the Syrian war and other oppressed regions of the world. It is beyond imagination what they have gone through and forever bear in their memories 😭. May we all shine our light, spread kindness and love to at least outbalance the darkness some people bring into the world 💫✨💫.
Thank you, Perry.. Such an enlightening essay. 🙏❤ I especially liked learning about "Degrowth".. It was new to me, but I fully support it now. We need it, urgently! 🙏☮️
My nana lived through and in the midst of two world wars. My mum was six to nine years old during the Nazi's invasion of England. She spent most of her days in a bomb shelter alone. Her dad, my grandfather, gone to serve, eventually abandoning them. My nana, alone, to feed and care for a child, had to ride her bike to work as German buzz bombs slowly rode above her. My mum's school was destroyed by bombs in impoverished London. It was that close. As she sat in their little bomb shelter alone, a neighbor who was supposed to "look after her," abused her. I hate war. Everyone I know hates war. The Pacifists who lived in the Kibbutz's and were slaughtered there on Oct. 7th, accepted their fate as "peacemakers" and chose love. They chose to live on the edge of rocket fire. Many, many were in beautiful community with Palestinians, their friends. Helping each other, as we can only imagine we might do in our neighborhoods. We must either live this way and understand that there is an enemy lurking always and be ready to die, accepting that "fate." Or we must get up and fight for our lives if the enemy comes, as is much of human nature and in the animal kingdom. If we believe in goodness, we must believe in evil. It is man's free-will. Until there is a great revival of the spirit, a world revival, this is the world and we must choose how we're going to live in it. I always appreciate your heart Perry. Although most modern military wars are senselessly fought for power and money, leaving many innocent people to die and suffer, I am eternally grateful for the heavy sacrifices made to end WW2, freeing the near dead from the concentration camps and for the life I have been given as a result. It is with no doubt had the Nazis remained in England, rather than turn back, the rampage was bound to have swallowed much of my little family. I believe the only way to live is to live for heaven, while on earth, where one day we will be renewed and in a perfect world. ox
I hear you, Deborah and I know the arguments that some wars are necessary. But bear in mind, the start of the Second World War did not start in a vacuum. There was a First World War and the history between the wars.
There is a history between the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well. I say this as a Jew brought up on these official narratives, but there is much more to the story. So, yes, I am.pretty much a Pacifist, because it is not the generals and the political leaders who suffer when they propel a nation to war. It is people like your mother, your nana and my father and his family and tens of millions of others.
I could do without the war heroic stories and would like more peace heroic stories. Does it not say in the Bible, "Blessed are the peacemakers"?
As the Jewish people say, "may their memory be a blessing."
I hear you. The reality is hard to fight (no punn intended). Without God there is no peace. That is my deepest personal opinion. Without accountability to His "intended" perfection vs. the free will of man (the Garden) - we are stuck with so much evil. So much choice to do good or bad. So, "the choice is ours" of how we will live and accept our fate not being able to control how others will operate their free choices. That, plus the power of prayer, is where we hold power over our life and spread love to others. There are many heroic stories to be told. I am reading Corrie Ten Boom's story, (it's about time for me to do so), called The Hiding Place. I hope you've had a peaceful weekend friend. ox
I agree; we have and make choices in how and what we think and believe; and we can change and adapt those choices, during our lives, for many reasons, including knowledge, personal circumstances and conscience. It has been raining most of the weekend and is coolish, and yet I am enjoying it. All the best from Arya and I.
Thank you for restacking, @libertà and sharing what I view as another important article. War should no longer be considered Necessary or Normal. Not if we want to build a humane and cooperative society.
'...it is the governments, their political and military leaders, and of course the War Industry, who collectively push for it...'
I agree with a lot of your points, Perry.
It's well past time that the common people stop blindly believing and following what their political leaders and mainstream media are telling them when it comes to the push for war against their perceived enemies.
Especially during current times, we all need to think critically, obtain our news and information from more objective, independent sources, and learn to separate the truth from all the incessant propaganda and lies.
Great article, Perry, that really deconstructions what drives war. I also appreciate the music that you’ve highlighted here from two of the greats and two of my own favorites. The message and the music will always ring true.
I understand why you had to write this. It's hard to read the headline news anymore, all the senseless wars and destruction going on, often because of one man's greed or pride or vengeance. I read this shortly after reading Paul Wittenberger's Substack https://wittenberger.substack.com/p/let-us-cry, his poem, Let Us Mourn, which starts this way:
Let us mourn those children born
not knowing they could be enemies
in anyone’s war:
I think so many of us feel traumatized by what's going on and helpless that there's noting we can do to stop the madness, to save the people senselessly dying. Writing about it helps, not only the writer, but the reader, feeling connected to others who recognize and mourn the tragedy. It doesn't fix anything, but it's a warm squeeze on the the hand, another person saying I understand, I feel this pain, this horror too. We're not alone in our sense of helpless grief. So thank you for that. Also for those quotes. Carson's and Einstein's in particular.
I also read Paul’s powerful poem and offered my own short comment. In the face of such atrocities, we look for words and community to hold on to our sanity.
This is right, Deborah. It is an unpleasant subject, but like any humane human being I am bothered by what is going on. I would rather write about birds and Nature, but the article just flowed out of me. It was cathartic. Thanks for understanding.🕊🦜
I am totally with you on this Perry. War is disgusting.
I choked back emotion this past Thursday, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, listening to the stories of individual men and women and how the war affected them and their families. The instigators of wars are monsters. They represent the very worst of humanity. What's happening right now in the middle east is total madness. You can't fight evil with evil. It just breeds more evil.
There have been so many cultural references exploring War. Another song from the same time period as Peace Train was War (What is it good for) by Edwin Starr. Answer: Absolutely nothing. Other powerful songs that come to mind are Military Madness by Graham Nash. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle. I Ain't Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs. With God on my Side by Bob Dylan. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye (traditional) to the tune of Johnny Comes Marching Home. And the list goes on and on and on. Through the generations artists sound the same refrain. War makes no sense. Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, God on my Side by World Party, Jet Fighter by Butt Hole Surfers, Click Click by Danny Michels.
Thank you, John. War is madness and solves nothing, but creates misery. There is a treasure trove of music that is anti-war. Remember also "One Tin Soldier" (1969) by The Original Caste. We actually learned it at school when I was in Grade 6. Have not forgotten.
The Einstein quote has it for me. Great summary of why war is indefensible. I've always felt that way. I was brought up in the shadow of two world wars via my father & grandfather. Some years back I wrote a whole book of (40) poems titled "Lest We Forget War Is Not Normal". I never published it but needed to do it in order to process my disgust at war, its rhetoric, and it's profiteering. Follow the money, and power-politics, and you can see how wars are seeded decades in advance, turning one set of people against another set. There is no excuse for war; none. If another war is declared I hope all the the young people say 'stuff it' to conscription.
I can understand why you wrote those 40 poems. It is the same reason I wrote this essay on an unpleasant subject. I had to put it to paper my disgust of the whole war enterprise. Einstein was not only a great physicist; he was also a great humanitarian. Thanks for your comment, Joshua.
Wow this certainly makes even more profound the wisdom behind REAL EYEZING that SUFFERING is manufactured and serves no purpose for growth or betterment towards Life and living. Just think if they called us to war and no one showed up. Just think if people stopped believing that suffering is needed to learn lessons, that pain must be experienced in order to gain wisdom, That evil must be experienced to KNOW what Love is, is acceptable for allowing all the horrific things to continue.
Suffering begets suffering. Great article. Love CAT Stevens too!
Yes, many more have to see and feel this deep in the marrow of their bones to apprehend that war always equals suffering, even for the supposed victors. When war vets come home with PTSD and other physical ailments. War is not only inhumane, it is an unnatutal state of affairs.
All children and adults should listen to One Tin Soldier, one of the songs of my childhood along with Peace Train.
Sadly we have been so conditioned to accept evil as necessary, after all we are all sinners and must bear our own crosses... Do you see? yes I know you do. When you are raised up to beLIEve that life is suffering because we deserve it, then there is no empathy, or even sympathy. So many people think that pain is a motivator... HOW does a soldier overcome his pain, his injury, his suffering, when he is totally lost and overcome by his experience of suffering, from his psychological and physical injury? Most people become apathetic when they are held down at the very least, look at a tortured dog, conditioned response! What is Stockholm syndrome? It's a lie to think that people GROW from adversity. If they did, why are millions addicted to drugs, why are millions homeless, and helpless, why are millions hopelessly suffering through their circumstances, making no headway into improvement? because it is just not true for the majority to take their torture, their pain, their suffering and turn it around.
yes... you nailed it about the route to spiritual enlightenment. I recently wrote a stack on this exact topic..on suffering. that's how I met Perry too.
I agree and have been trying for decades to persuade people it is the opposite. LOVE is the answer. LOVE is always the answer. Everything GOOD flows from that place.
Thank you, @Karafree for your support and kindness. Your words mean a lot.🕊🦜
One rule of war. Take no prisoners. All or nothing. War is the game played by children. King of the hill, red rover, capture the flag. The war machine continues. You’re different from me. There is no communication. Kill or be killed. War is a no end game of cards that topple. Tic tack toe. CAT. When you see there is no way to win the game is over, it’s no fun anymore. You grind a different game to play. Just as if you know the outcome of a future event why play? It’s no fun.
I agree; so let’s decide as a global community to throw all the war games into the trash, into the dustbin of history and teach our children the history and dangers of war. Let’s stop romanticing war and war heroes. Let’s start romanticizing peace and peaceniks.🕊🦜
A Herculean task that starts now with a train car full of seeds for people around the world to plant and make green life on a planet. Birds, bees people will breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a start to life of healing the world.
I agree with most of what you said. However, war is dangerous because there are no rules for it. Governments may even be united in what you can and cannot do in war. Nonsense - there are no rules. And that is the problem. The problem is that we as a species can believe that we can create"rules." By war's very nature, that is impossible. We all know that one of the ways governments or groups justify a war is in their campaign to dehumanize the "other."
It is happening today and will continue to happen. Why? Evil. Reasons: I am better than you, I am smarter than you, I am right, you are wrong, my religion justifies it, and if you do not believe what I believe, then there is something wrong with you. There is only one solution. Love.
That there are rules and conventions might satisfy some people—the legalists among us—but not me, since I find the whole notion vexxing. It is as if we make rules of war, it then becomes acceptable and normal. This is the part that I find terribly troubling. Don’t you?
I agree. My point of mentioning international rules is that it is used as a human justification, a fig leaf, for War. As if War Can Be Fought With Rules.
Humans like rules and now you have “rules of war” to legally commit human atrocities. Of course, in reality, even these rules are often ignored and nations commit all kinds of atrocites, worse than imagined.
We can both agree that the idea of "rules of war" is absurd because war's very nature is brutal. Thank you for the topic, which, as you can tell, really makes my skin crawl. I was a Hospital Corpsman (Medic) in the early 1970s.
I started to write more, but I stopped. I haven't buried my head in the sand, but there are days when I search high and low for a sandbox.
I will never understand the propensity towards war and conflict when we have so much to gain through open cooperation and communication. It’s senseless. It’s a construct to maintain control through fear and to make money. Vile.
Yes, Trudi, I agree. It is a venal business and a horrible one to be involved in. Vile is a good descriptive word to describe a business whose goal is to kill people and, as a result, end up also destroying the habitats of all other non-human animals and other species. Vile, Venal, Senseless and also Stupid.
Thank you for reading; it is by no means a pleasant subject. Yet, it was necessary to write, and writing it was actually liberating in that I confirmed to myself that War is a total human invention with nefarious means and ends.
Appreciated reading your piece, Perry. The quotes give me goosebumps. Thank you for it. I was a teacher to refugees from the Syrian war and other oppressed regions of the world. It is beyond imagination what they have gone through and forever bear in their memories 😭. May we all shine our light, spread kindness and love to at least outbalance the darkness some people bring into the world 💫✨💫.
Yes, we can help make the world a better place.🕊🦜
Thank you for restacking, @Louise Haynes. I appreciate the fact that you see value in this article. Have a beautiful day.
Thank you, Perry.. Such an enlightening essay. 🙏❤ I especially liked learning about "Degrowth".. It was new to me, but I fully support it now. We need it, urgently! 🙏☮️
I only learned about Degrowth a few months ago; and now it is becoming more popular. 🕊🦜
My nana lived through and in the midst of two world wars. My mum was six to nine years old during the Nazi's invasion of England. She spent most of her days in a bomb shelter alone. Her dad, my grandfather, gone to serve, eventually abandoning them. My nana, alone, to feed and care for a child, had to ride her bike to work as German buzz bombs slowly rode above her. My mum's school was destroyed by bombs in impoverished London. It was that close. As she sat in their little bomb shelter alone, a neighbor who was supposed to "look after her," abused her. I hate war. Everyone I know hates war. The Pacifists who lived in the Kibbutz's and were slaughtered there on Oct. 7th, accepted their fate as "peacemakers" and chose love. They chose to live on the edge of rocket fire. Many, many were in beautiful community with Palestinians, their friends. Helping each other, as we can only imagine we might do in our neighborhoods. We must either live this way and understand that there is an enemy lurking always and be ready to die, accepting that "fate." Or we must get up and fight for our lives if the enemy comes, as is much of human nature and in the animal kingdom. If we believe in goodness, we must believe in evil. It is man's free-will. Until there is a great revival of the spirit, a world revival, this is the world and we must choose how we're going to live in it. I always appreciate your heart Perry. Although most modern military wars are senselessly fought for power and money, leaving many innocent people to die and suffer, I am eternally grateful for the heavy sacrifices made to end WW2, freeing the near dead from the concentration camps and for the life I have been given as a result. It is with no doubt had the Nazis remained in England, rather than turn back, the rampage was bound to have swallowed much of my little family. I believe the only way to live is to live for heaven, while on earth, where one day we will be renewed and in a perfect world. ox
I hear you, Deborah and I know the arguments that some wars are necessary. But bear in mind, the start of the Second World War did not start in a vacuum. There was a First World War and the history between the wars.
There is a history between the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well. I say this as a Jew brought up on these official narratives, but there is much more to the story. So, yes, I am.pretty much a Pacifist, because it is not the generals and the political leaders who suffer when they propel a nation to war. It is people like your mother, your nana and my father and his family and tens of millions of others.
I could do without the war heroic stories and would like more peace heroic stories. Does it not say in the Bible, "Blessed are the peacemakers"?
As the Jewish people say, "may their memory be a blessing."
I hear you. The reality is hard to fight (no punn intended). Without God there is no peace. That is my deepest personal opinion. Without accountability to His "intended" perfection vs. the free will of man (the Garden) - we are stuck with so much evil. So much choice to do good or bad. So, "the choice is ours" of how we will live and accept our fate not being able to control how others will operate their free choices. That, plus the power of prayer, is where we hold power over our life and spread love to others. There are many heroic stories to be told. I am reading Corrie Ten Boom's story, (it's about time for me to do so), called The Hiding Place. I hope you've had a peaceful weekend friend. ox
I agree; we have and make choices in how and what we think and believe; and we can change and adapt those choices, during our lives, for many reasons, including knowledge, personal circumstances and conscience. It has been raining most of the weekend and is coolish, and yet I am enjoying it. All the best from Arya and I.
🕊🦜
Thank you for restacking, @libertà and sharing what I view as another important article. War should no longer be considered Necessary or Normal. Not if we want to build a humane and cooperative society.
'...it is the governments, their political and military leaders, and of course the War Industry, who collectively push for it...'
I agree with a lot of your points, Perry.
It's well past time that the common people stop blindly believing and following what their political leaders and mainstream media are telling them when it comes to the push for war against their perceived enemies.
Especially during current times, we all need to think critically, obtain our news and information from more objective, independent sources, and learn to separate the truth from all the incessant propaganda and lies.
Great article, Perry, that really deconstructions what drives war. I also appreciate the music that you’ve highlighted here from two of the greats and two of my own favorites. The message and the music will always ring true.
Thank you, Heidi. So much good music came out during this period.
Absolutely agree. I still have all of my albums.
That is so amazing.
“ My ideas against War are neither new nor extreme. It is War Itself that is extreme”
Profound Perry! I am in point. Thank you!
So glad that you found it on point. Thank you for reading and commenting. 🕊🦜
I understand why you had to write this. It's hard to read the headline news anymore, all the senseless wars and destruction going on, often because of one man's greed or pride or vengeance. I read this shortly after reading Paul Wittenberger's Substack https://wittenberger.substack.com/p/let-us-cry, his poem, Let Us Mourn, which starts this way:
Let us mourn those children born
not knowing they could be enemies
in anyone’s war:
I think so many of us feel traumatized by what's going on and helpless that there's noting we can do to stop the madness, to save the people senselessly dying. Writing about it helps, not only the writer, but the reader, feeling connected to others who recognize and mourn the tragedy. It doesn't fix anything, but it's a warm squeeze on the the hand, another person saying I understand, I feel this pain, this horror too. We're not alone in our sense of helpless grief. So thank you for that. Also for those quotes. Carson's and Einstein's in particular.
I also read Paul’s powerful poem and offered my own short comment. In the face of such atrocities, we look for words and community to hold on to our sanity.
This is right, Deborah. It is an unpleasant subject, but like any humane human being I am bothered by what is going on. I would rather write about birds and Nature, but the article just flowed out of me. It was cathartic. Thanks for understanding.🕊🦜
I am totally with you on this Perry. War is disgusting.
I choked back emotion this past Thursday, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, listening to the stories of individual men and women and how the war affected them and their families. The instigators of wars are monsters. They represent the very worst of humanity. What's happening right now in the middle east is total madness. You can't fight evil with evil. It just breeds more evil.
There have been so many cultural references exploring War. Another song from the same time period as Peace Train was War (What is it good for) by Edwin Starr. Answer: Absolutely nothing. Other powerful songs that come to mind are Military Madness by Graham Nash. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle. I Ain't Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs. With God on my Side by Bob Dylan. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye (traditional) to the tune of Johnny Comes Marching Home. And the list goes on and on and on. Through the generations artists sound the same refrain. War makes no sense. Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, God on my Side by World Party, Jet Fighter by Butt Hole Surfers, Click Click by Danny Michels.
Thank you, John. War is madness and solves nothing, but creates misery. There is a treasure trove of music that is anti-war. Remember also "One Tin Soldier" (1969) by The Original Caste. We actually learned it at school when I was in Grade 6. Have not forgotten.
The Einstein quote has it for me. Great summary of why war is indefensible. I've always felt that way. I was brought up in the shadow of two world wars via my father & grandfather. Some years back I wrote a whole book of (40) poems titled "Lest We Forget War Is Not Normal". I never published it but needed to do it in order to process my disgust at war, its rhetoric, and it's profiteering. Follow the money, and power-politics, and you can see how wars are seeded decades in advance, turning one set of people against another set. There is no excuse for war; none. If another war is declared I hope all the the young people say 'stuff it' to conscription.
I can understand why you wrote those 40 poems. It is the same reason I wrote this essay on an unpleasant subject. I had to put it to paper my disgust of the whole war enterprise. Einstein was not only a great physicist; he was also a great humanitarian. Thanks for your comment, Joshua.
And you made the case against war very eloquently in your post, Perry. It flowed really nicely to read.
Thank you; it just flowed out of me.
Wow this certainly makes even more profound the wisdom behind REAL EYEZING that SUFFERING is manufactured and serves no purpose for growth or betterment towards Life and living. Just think if they called us to war and no one showed up. Just think if people stopped believing that suffering is needed to learn lessons, that pain must be experienced in order to gain wisdom, That evil must be experienced to KNOW what Love is, is acceptable for allowing all the horrific things to continue.
Suffering begets suffering. Great article. Love CAT Stevens too!
Yes, many more have to see and feel this deep in the marrow of their bones to apprehend that war always equals suffering, even for the supposed victors. When war vets come home with PTSD and other physical ailments. War is not only inhumane, it is an unnatutal state of affairs.
All children and adults should listen to One Tin Soldier, one of the songs of my childhood along with Peace Train.
Sadly we have been so conditioned to accept evil as necessary, after all we are all sinners and must bear our own crosses... Do you see? yes I know you do. When you are raised up to beLIEve that life is suffering because we deserve it, then there is no empathy, or even sympathy. So many people think that pain is a motivator... HOW does a soldier overcome his pain, his injury, his suffering, when he is totally lost and overcome by his experience of suffering, from his psychological and physical injury? Most people become apathetic when they are held down at the very least, look at a tortured dog, conditioned response! What is Stockholm syndrome? It's a lie to think that people GROW from adversity. If they did, why are millions addicted to drugs, why are millions homeless, and helpless, why are millions hopelessly suffering through their circumstances, making no headway into improvement? because it is just not true for the majority to take their torture, their pain, their suffering and turn it around.
So true; if suffering was the route to spiritual enlightenment, then the world would be full of buddhas - especially in poorer parts of the world.
yes... you nailed it about the route to spiritual enlightenment. I recently wrote a stack on this exact topic..on suffering. that's how I met Perry too.
I agree and have been trying for decades to persuade people it is the opposite. LOVE is the answer. LOVE is always the answer. Everything GOOD flows from that place.
Thank you, @Karafree for your support and kindness. Your words mean a lot.🕊🦜
thank you too, glad I found you!
One rule of war. Take no prisoners. All or nothing. War is the game played by children. King of the hill, red rover, capture the flag. The war machine continues. You’re different from me. There is no communication. Kill or be killed. War is a no end game of cards that topple. Tic tack toe. CAT. When you see there is no way to win the game is over, it’s no fun anymore. You grind a different game to play. Just as if you know the outcome of a future event why play? It’s no fun.
I agree; so let’s decide as a global community to throw all the war games into the trash, into the dustbin of history and teach our children the history and dangers of war. Let’s stop romanticing war and war heroes. Let’s start romanticizing peace and peaceniks.🕊🦜
A Herculean task that starts now with a train car full of seeds for people around the world to plant and make green life on a planet. Birds, bees people will breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a start to life of healing the world.
Perry,
I agree with most of what you said. However, war is dangerous because there are no rules for it. Governments may even be united in what you can and cannot do in war. Nonsense - there are no rules. And that is the problem. The problem is that we as a species can believe that we can create"rules." By war's very nature, that is impossible. We all know that one of the ways governments or groups justify a war is in their campaign to dehumanize the "other."
It is happening today and will continue to happen. Why? Evil. Reasons: I am better than you, I am smarter than you, I am right, you are wrong, my religion justifies it, and if you do not believe what I believe, then there is something wrong with you. There is only one solution. Love.
Joel
Joel,
Here is what I wrote about the rules of war:
That there are rules and conventions might satisfy some people—the legalists among us—but not me, since I find the whole notion vexxing. It is as if we make rules of war, it then becomes acceptable and normal. This is the part that I find terribly troubling. Don’t you?
Joel,
I agree. My point of mentioning international rules is that it is used as a human justification, a fig leaf, for War. As if War Can Be Fought With Rules.
Humans like rules and now you have “rules of war” to legally commit human atrocities. Of course, in reality, even these rules are often ignored and nations commit all kinds of atrocites, worse than imagined.
Perry,
We can both agree that the idea of "rules of war" is absurd because war's very nature is brutal. Thank you for the topic, which, as you can tell, really makes my skin crawl. I was a Hospital Corpsman (Medic) in the early 1970s.
I started to write more, but I stopped. I haven't buried my head in the sand, but there are days when I search high and low for a sandbox.
Joel
I will never understand the propensity towards war and conflict when we have so much to gain through open cooperation and communication. It’s senseless. It’s a construct to maintain control through fear and to make money. Vile.
Yes, Trudi, I agree. It is a venal business and a horrible one to be involved in. Vile is a good descriptive word to describe a business whose goal is to kill people and, as a result, end up also destroying the habitats of all other non-human animals and other species. Vile, Venal, Senseless and also Stupid.
This covers the immense landscape of war and violence. Thank you, Perry.
Thank you for reading; it is by no means a pleasant subject. Yet, it was necessary to write, and writing it was actually liberating in that I confirmed to myself that War is a total human invention with nefarious means and ends.