Mystery of War & Peace

As Obama announced the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, Democrats bellow that it isn't enough, and it isn't quick enough. Well, I agree. Yet, I appreciate the calculated appraoch to the war that Obama has taken. Yet here we are again - another decade, another generation, another location, but the same debate: do we stay or do we fight?
We keep repeating this vicious cycle of war. We offer our varied reasons for why war exists, but there's no doubt that it is present and visceral. Peace-lovers have done a remarkable job of responding to war, of saying that war is "bad," but if we are going to change the way the world works we have to stop responding, and start acting.

The peace effort begins not with invasion, but understanding. If we, the privileged west, are not listening, engaging, and working to become educated about the intricacies of the Middle East then we will not effectively engage issues at hand. Whether we find ourselves for or against war, we must stop thinking that we can fix everything. We must purge from ourselves this thought that becuase we're developed, and because we're thte United States, we can jump into any place in the world and control the area.

BUT........

I'll be the first to state that if and when human rights violations occur by a government official we must exhaust every possible diplomatic and economic action before proceeding to military action. Even when we turn military, we must not stop the diplomatic work lest we miss out on a quicker end to conflict.

All told, I'm not sure why we must war. Thomas Hobbes had a good reason in his thoughts on the State of Nature. Some folks say it's because we're fallen, that we're doomed to be sinful. Every person has a reason that differs, if only slightly, from the next person.

I am not all that interested in finding out the deep metaphysical reasons why war exists. People have and will debate those reasons for centuries to come- they can debate them for me. I am interested, however, in working toward peace in war-torn areas.  I am convinced that neither bombs nor bullets, that neither land mines nore ignorant minds will bring about world peace. Only committed community, authentic love, and a dumb willingness will transform us all - peacemakers and warmongers - together.

One thing is certain - there's no such thing as a peaceful end to war. It always ends with more blood spilled than before, more families torn apart, and more parentless children. The only redemption at stake is that we will live our lives holding lost lives in the light, in the hope, of peace.