World War?

I am a person of peace. I truly believe the world can live in peace. I also believe that most people yearn for peace as a base for living their lives in fullness and potential.

History, however, has shown how people who think they have less than someone else, think they have just cause to find ways to take what they want from others. Like the kid on the playground who covets another kid’s fancy basketball shoes, or a kid steals a car for a joy ride. They just take what they want. They bully or sneak their way to fulfill a want, an ache.

Like those kids, nations generate feelings of entitlement to what other nations have. Whether it is power, ability to grow sufficient food stuffs, or mine fossil fuels, dig up precious ores needed in manufacturing, or just plain drilling for ample water supplies, some nations develop plans to take what they need by violence, war and usurpation.

Russia is an example of this. Burma, too. Many African nations and tribes have done the same over the millennia. This is not so much a political problem as it is a human nature problem.

But there is a foil to all of these shenanigans. Peace comes from people talking with one another, working with one another, collaborating to solve problems with one another. Many peace programs start with feeding the hungry, healing the sick and drilling wells for reliable water supplies. Building schools, hospitals and housing are on the to do list in such programs. Many nations participate in this work, some directly and others through the United Nations.

We know peace works. And we know nations working together builds peace.

So why does a Putin or Russia happen? Why do they think they can just claim and take?

Good question.

One answer is they get away with it simply by doing. They pay a price for this behavior, but they get away with it and unfortunate people pay a huge and personal price. Think Ukraine and her people!

The upset to the world community is also a price that is paid. The upset affects so many aspects of daily life. Mostly, however, it is our sense of equilibrium and justice.

Humankind has made a habit of protecting itself in communities and nations large and small. Military budgets have soared through the ages. From the first spear to the first rifles, cannon and bombs, we arrived in the nuclear age. Missiles of all kinds exist. Intercontinental missiles exist. North Korea is working on long range missile capability to threaten mainland United States. Responses to these threats are expanding military defensive capabilities. And offensive ones, too.

Until the childish pride of nations goes too far and then such weapons are used. On one another. That is the current threat posed by Russia and North Korea. And for what?

Does that matter anymore. Have we gone so far as to leave that question unanswered? Instead, are we contemplating using our storehouse of weaponry to shut down Putin’s game of Russian Roulette? Or do we let him self-destruct as he seems to be doing?

How do polite societies handle this challenge? Do we stand by while Ukrainians once again fight for their right to exist?

The easy answer is most likely the wrong one. How many times do we try until we get the right one?

March 15, 2022   [Beware the Ides of March!]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more