The Myth of War: Interview with Chris Hedges

We become the embodiment of light and goodness. We become the defenders of civilization, of all that is decent. We are more noble than others. We are braver than others. We are kinder and more compassionate than others -- that the enemy at our gate is perfidious, dark, somewhat inhuman. We turn them into two-dimensional figures. I think that's part of the process of linguistically dehumanizing them. And in wartime, we always turn the other into an object, and often, quite literally, in the form of a corpse.

The Myth of War: Interview with Chris Hedges

We become the embodiment of light and goodness. We become the defenders of civilization, of all that is decent. We are more noble than others. We are braver than others. We are kinder and more compassionate than others -- that the enemy at our gate is perfidious, dark, somewhat inhuman. We turn them into two-dimensional figures. I think that’s part of the process of linguistically dehumanizing them. And in wartime, we always turn the other into an object, and often, quite literally, in the form of a corpse.

War is Zen

Look, some of the things they tell you about war are true. The colors are brighter, the mind races ahead of itself, you are awake, aware in a way that you have never been before. War is Zen. And that's true. It is an incredibly, at once, horrifying and exhilarating experience.

The only antidote is love. It's the only force that can overpower you to such an extent that you can no longer go to war. Of those people who I have seen who were most able to resist the intoxification of war, most were couples who had good, powerful, loving relationships. They didn't fall for the nationalist rhetoric or the drumbeat of war. And that's why, as in Bosnia or in World War II France, the people who rescued persecuted minorities were almost always couples. And those that thrill and find the greatest attraction to war are mostly atomized or lonely individuals.

It's nice to romanticise certain religions, as though there's a 'liberated zone' somewhere in the world that is free of war and the ideologies of war. Unfortunately there isn't. Although Buddhism is indeed generally speaking a peace loving religion (or philosophy or whatever), there are some notable exceptions. People who think Buddhism has a great pacifist record should take their minds for a walk and read Brian Victoria's book, _Zen at War_, which indicts some well known Japanese Zen teachers with actively promoting Japanese militarism in the pre-war period, and supporting massacres in China. Also worth reading on this subject is _In Defense of Dharma: Just-War Ideology in Buddhist Sri Lanka_ by Tessa J. Bartholomeusz. She shows how certain Buddhist texts and stories have been used to defend war against Tamils in Buddhist terms.

Unfortunately, war is everywhere and the seeds of war are in each one of us. Happily, though, peace is everywhere and the seeds of non-violence are in each one of us. With each word and thought and action we have to choose which seeds we will water. To help us on the way there are sereral well-known Buddhist exemplars of non-violence, such as the Dalai Lama , Thich Nhat Hanh, Aung San Suu Kyi, , , Joanna Macy, a whole generation of leaders who have consistently chosen to embody the way of peace. And to them, much respect.

I am experimenting with websites, weblogs etc as a way of communicating.
My first attempt was a web site for author Kathryn Heyman.
It is a work in progress.
I should probably do that instead of this.
Except that I read somewhere about search engines noticing the kind of link I just put up.
Maybe it will make a difference. Maybe not.

Content Republic

If content is king, this site is a republic.

The aim is to publish words and images here that mean something to me.
If they mean something to someone else in the world wide world,
then I will be happy.
Contented.