If Only War Was History
I am a pacifist. I have seen about as much war as the average American who never served active duty in the military. That's to say I have never seen war up close and personal. I've never had to worry for my safety or the safety of my comrades in arms. And, probably most importantly, I've never had to worry about the safety of my home, my possessions, and my family. My brushes with war have been exclusively relegated to books (both fiction and non-fiction) and film (both fictionalized and documentary).
Like I said, I am typical of most Americans. We haven't fought a war on our own soil since our civil war more than 150 years ago. We've defended the world against aggression time and time again. We've jumped in where we don't belong, also time and time again. The United States of America boasts the most powerful military complex in the world. We can bring it by land, air, and sea. Of course, we haven't won a war ("Saved the world" as I often say) in nearly 75 years. The sticklers out there will say we haven't been in a war in 75 years. Yep, just a series of police actions and other meddlesome activities all over the world involving our armed forces.
Yes, it is true. I'm a pacifist. I am opposed to war, violence, and militarism. My stance is not tied to a religion; I am neither Mennonite nor Quaker nor Buddhist. I am, in fact, an atheist. I will not fight a war on the side of any god you care to name, nor will I fight on the side of the godless. I simply believe that little good ever comes from war. Sure, Hitler had to go. And, yeah, we had to push back the Japanese. And we probably did need to jump in and save jolly old England (and France and the rest of the Allies) in World War I. But, here's the deal with me - I'd prefer none of it happen to begin with. I prefer that we all just get along; that we keep what's ours and not covet the possessions of others; that we set aside greed and jealousy and the belief that our way of life (or our race, our religion, or food choices, you name it) is the best and only true way of life.
To say I'm fascinated by war would be a true statement. It captivates me. Always has. I began studying and reading about World War II in junior high. Now, I'm working on a novel set during World War I. All of that aside, I don't romanticize it. I may have in my youth. When I didn't really realize the sheer number of lives war wastes and devastates. Remember, I'm that typical American and I was definitely that typical American kid. And I grew up in a Navy town. War never touched me so I was free to paint any picture of it I wanted. As a child, war was filled with heroes and courage - men and women who stood up and served, who risked their lives for a cause.
A cause... Over the years, that cause has become a bit tarnished. And, really, as I sit here in cafe in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in what used to be Yugoslavia before a civil war nearly tore the region to shreds, I'm hard pressed to imagine any cause just enough, right enough, strong enough, or important enough to justify the death and devastation it inevitably brings.
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia. It's not a place I would ever imagine being able to visit. In my lifetime, Bosnia, like Croatia, was part of Yugoslavia. For the first twenty-some years of that lifetime, the country was under communist rule, in other words "Behind the Iron Curtain" in the speak of the time. Then the "curtain fell" and a new act began in the former Yugoslavia. Freedom from communism left the country with independence and freedom it didn't know what to do with. Brother turned on brother (and sister on sister). Croats and Bosnians, Serbians, and Montenegrans took sides based on geography, history, culture, and religion. It didn't take too long for the bullets to fly and the bombs to fall. Cities, like Mostar where I went yesterday, were all but destroyed, decimated, ravaged.
For what, one of the women in my tour group asked on our way through Bosnia as our tour guide attempted to explain the war to us. "Us" equaled one American (me) and two Brits (the woman and her husband). I get civil war. America fought one in recent enough history. The Brits, however, have to go back a little farther. I don't think my tour companion ever quite got it. She was looking for some higher purpose - something like the defeat of Hitler or a similar tyrant. Our guide tried to explain that war is complicated, that simplicity and war don't mix.
And let's be honest, they never have. We break down war to it's smallest common denominators - the Good Guys versus the Bad Guys. Who's good and who's bad depends exclusively upon which side you sit. In the Yugoslavian War (from my very basic understanding of it), there weren't clear cut sides. Serbia became allied with Montenegro and bombed the crap out of Dubrovnik (The evidence of that destruction is still apparent in parts of the old city). Serbia and Croatia bombed the ever-loving crap out of Mostar in Bosnia. Unfortunately for Mostar, it's tucked away in a nice little valley - perfect for making it the hottest city in Europe (a nifty tidbit I never imagined) AND perfect for it's enemies to take the high ground and rain Hell down upon it. According to my tour guide yesterday, by 1995, 95% of Mostar had been completely obliterated. It is only due to UNESCO and donations from many countries around the world that the city has been rebuilt. I should probably say that the city is being rebuilt because after more than twenty-five years, it's still not done. That's the level of destruction war brings.
And for what? Seven separate countries? For the world to have them help them rebuild? Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovenia, and Macedonia all have had their issues. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, some of those issues, rampant unemployment and political unrest, continue to plague the country. Young people are leaving for Croatia and beyond to find work and better lives. Moreover, bad blood between the various countries still exists. Here in Dubrovnik, there's a memorial for the men who lost their lives defending the city when Serbia and Montenegro attacked back in October 1991. The verbiage used makes it clear that they see Dubrovnik as the innocent victim and still harbor animosity toward Serbia and Montenegro.
In the Yugoslavian Wars, about 140,000 people died (accorinding to Wikipedia). Croatia gave 20,000 lives while Bosnia-Herzegovina carried a much higher burden. Between 97,000 and 100,000 Bosnians are said to have been killed during the conflict. Given that these countries have a population of 3 - 4 million, that's a lot of dead. A lot of loss. A lot of tragedy.
I'm sure there are plenty of examples of those things we use to romanticize war. I suppose when one is defending one's homeland, one's very home, heroism, courage under fire, and bravery in the face of death become pretty common. I mean...damn...bombs dropping, gunfire blazing. Houses up in flames, becoming rubble. Empty shells, blood, bodies lining the streets. Friends, family...homeless, hurt, missing, dead.
In Mostar, they sell little tanks and planes made from spent shell casings. Twenty-five years later. Twenty-five. That's a lot of shell casings because I'm guessing they didn't just start making and selling those trinkets last week. We can ague whether marketing the remnants of war is in good taste or not, but facts are facts. Millions of bullets flew all over the former Yugoslavia. Seriously, millions.
I guess in a way I'm with the woman on my tour yesterday. I don't get it either. I don't get war. I don't get why so many lives had to be lost. Like Gabriel, our guide, said, wars aren't easy to understand. And yet they keep happening. Greed and gluttony pervade the human soul and become integral to its psyche. War is the natural be-all-end-all of all that. If only we could just mind our own, keep our eyes on our own paper, and enjoy what we have rather than always wanting more and more and more.
I can say something now that I couldn't say yesterday morning. I've seen war first hand. Because what I saw in Mostar (and also today in Dubrovnik) is war, perhaps just the leftovers but war nonetheless. Bullets didn't rain down on me. I didn't have run for safety or bury a loved one. My skin wasn't exactly in the game. Still..... I looked at the remains of bombed out buildings. I saw pock marks left by bullets in the sides of still more buildings. The war may have ended twenty-five years ago, but it's still there. Signs around Mostar's old town remind us to "Never forget." How can we? Maybe it's good everything hasn't been restored to its pre-war glory. Maybe it's better to see first-hand every day exactly what war brings.
So, yes, I'm a pacifist and perhaps far too idealistic for my own good. Is it too much to ask to live in a world where violence and destruction of war don't exist? I honestly think it is. Humanity and war go hand-in-hand. Where you have one, you assuredly have the other. Still I can dream and try to walk my talk, live my life in peace. And maybe, just someday, some way, out of some amazing miracle, war will be history.
Like I said, I am typical of most Americans. We haven't fought a war on our own soil since our civil war more than 150 years ago. We've defended the world against aggression time and time again. We've jumped in where we don't belong, also time and time again. The United States of America boasts the most powerful military complex in the world. We can bring it by land, air, and sea. Of course, we haven't won a war ("Saved the world" as I often say) in nearly 75 years. The sticklers out there will say we haven't been in a war in 75 years. Yep, just a series of police actions and other meddlesome activities all over the world involving our armed forces.
Yes, it is true. I'm a pacifist. I am opposed to war, violence, and militarism. My stance is not tied to a religion; I am neither Mennonite nor Quaker nor Buddhist. I am, in fact, an atheist. I will not fight a war on the side of any god you care to name, nor will I fight on the side of the godless. I simply believe that little good ever comes from war. Sure, Hitler had to go. And, yeah, we had to push back the Japanese. And we probably did need to jump in and save jolly old England (and France and the rest of the Allies) in World War I. But, here's the deal with me - I'd prefer none of it happen to begin with. I prefer that we all just get along; that we keep what's ours and not covet the possessions of others; that we set aside greed and jealousy and the belief that our way of life (or our race, our religion, or food choices, you name it) is the best and only true way of life.
To say I'm fascinated by war would be a true statement. It captivates me. Always has. I began studying and reading about World War II in junior high. Now, I'm working on a novel set during World War I. All of that aside, I don't romanticize it. I may have in my youth. When I didn't really realize the sheer number of lives war wastes and devastates. Remember, I'm that typical American and I was definitely that typical American kid. And I grew up in a Navy town. War never touched me so I was free to paint any picture of it I wanted. As a child, war was filled with heroes and courage - men and women who stood up and served, who risked their lives for a cause.
A cause... Over the years, that cause has become a bit tarnished. And, really, as I sit here in cafe in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in what used to be Yugoslavia before a civil war nearly tore the region to shreds, I'm hard pressed to imagine any cause just enough, right enough, strong enough, or important enough to justify the death and devastation it inevitably brings.
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia. It's not a place I would ever imagine being able to visit. In my lifetime, Bosnia, like Croatia, was part of Yugoslavia. For the first twenty-some years of that lifetime, the country was under communist rule, in other words "Behind the Iron Curtain" in the speak of the time. Then the "curtain fell" and a new act began in the former Yugoslavia. Freedom from communism left the country with independence and freedom it didn't know what to do with. Brother turned on brother (and sister on sister). Croats and Bosnians, Serbians, and Montenegrans took sides based on geography, history, culture, and religion. It didn't take too long for the bullets to fly and the bombs to fall. Cities, like Mostar where I went yesterday, were all but destroyed, decimated, ravaged.
For what, one of the women in my tour group asked on our way through Bosnia as our tour guide attempted to explain the war to us. "Us" equaled one American (me) and two Brits (the woman and her husband). I get civil war. America fought one in recent enough history. The Brits, however, have to go back a little farther. I don't think my tour companion ever quite got it. She was looking for some higher purpose - something like the defeat of Hitler or a similar tyrant. Our guide tried to explain that war is complicated, that simplicity and war don't mix.
And let's be honest, they never have. We break down war to it's smallest common denominators - the Good Guys versus the Bad Guys. Who's good and who's bad depends exclusively upon which side you sit. In the Yugoslavian War (from my very basic understanding of it), there weren't clear cut sides. Serbia became allied with Montenegro and bombed the crap out of Dubrovnik (The evidence of that destruction is still apparent in parts of the old city). Serbia and Croatia bombed the ever-loving crap out of Mostar in Bosnia. Unfortunately for Mostar, it's tucked away in a nice little valley - perfect for making it the hottest city in Europe (a nifty tidbit I never imagined) AND perfect for it's enemies to take the high ground and rain Hell down upon it. According to my tour guide yesterday, by 1995, 95% of Mostar had been completely obliterated. It is only due to UNESCO and donations from many countries around the world that the city has been rebuilt. I should probably say that the city is being rebuilt because after more than twenty-five years, it's still not done. That's the level of destruction war brings.
And for what? Seven separate countries? For the world to have them help them rebuild? Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovenia, and Macedonia all have had their issues. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, some of those issues, rampant unemployment and political unrest, continue to plague the country. Young people are leaving for Croatia and beyond to find work and better lives. Moreover, bad blood between the various countries still exists. Here in Dubrovnik, there's a memorial for the men who lost their lives defending the city when Serbia and Montenegro attacked back in October 1991. The verbiage used makes it clear that they see Dubrovnik as the innocent victim and still harbor animosity toward Serbia and Montenegro.
In the Yugoslavian Wars, about 140,000 people died (accorinding to Wikipedia). Croatia gave 20,000 lives while Bosnia-Herzegovina carried a much higher burden. Between 97,000 and 100,000 Bosnians are said to have been killed during the conflict. Given that these countries have a population of 3 - 4 million, that's a lot of dead. A lot of loss. A lot of tragedy.
I'm sure there are plenty of examples of those things we use to romanticize war. I suppose when one is defending one's homeland, one's very home, heroism, courage under fire, and bravery in the face of death become pretty common. I mean...damn...bombs dropping, gunfire blazing. Houses up in flames, becoming rubble. Empty shells, blood, bodies lining the streets. Friends, family...homeless, hurt, missing, dead.
In Mostar, they sell little tanks and planes made from spent shell casings. Twenty-five years later. Twenty-five. That's a lot of shell casings because I'm guessing they didn't just start making and selling those trinkets last week. We can ague whether marketing the remnants of war is in good taste or not, but facts are facts. Millions of bullets flew all over the former Yugoslavia. Seriously, millions.
I guess in a way I'm with the woman on my tour yesterday. I don't get it either. I don't get war. I don't get why so many lives had to be lost. Like Gabriel, our guide, said, wars aren't easy to understand. And yet they keep happening. Greed and gluttony pervade the human soul and become integral to its psyche. War is the natural be-all-end-all of all that. If only we could just mind our own, keep our eyes on our own paper, and enjoy what we have rather than always wanting more and more and more.
I can say something now that I couldn't say yesterday morning. I've seen war first hand. Because what I saw in Mostar (and also today in Dubrovnik) is war, perhaps just the leftovers but war nonetheless. Bullets didn't rain down on me. I didn't have run for safety or bury a loved one. My skin wasn't exactly in the game. Still..... I looked at the remains of bombed out buildings. I saw pock marks left by bullets in the sides of still more buildings. The war may have ended twenty-five years ago, but it's still there. Signs around Mostar's old town remind us to "Never forget." How can we? Maybe it's good everything hasn't been restored to its pre-war glory. Maybe it's better to see first-hand every day exactly what war brings.
So, yes, I'm a pacifist and perhaps far too idealistic for my own good. Is it too much to ask to live in a world where violence and destruction of war don't exist? I honestly think it is. Humanity and war go hand-in-hand. Where you have one, you assuredly have the other. Still I can dream and try to walk my talk, live my life in peace. And maybe, just someday, some way, out of some amazing miracle, war will be history.
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