War and the Small Nations (Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931)

In light of the unpredictable machinations of Russia (more particularly Putin) regarding the Ukraine, this little story may resonate with some: 

 

Once, high above a pasture, where a sheep and a lamb were grazing, an eagle was circling and gazing hungrily down upon the lamb. And as he was about to descend and seize his prey, another eagle appeared and hovered above the sheep and her young with the same hungry intent. Then the two rivals began to fight filling the sky with their fierce cries.

 

The sheep looked up and was most astonished. She turned to the lamb and said, “How strange, my child, that these two noble birds should attack one another. Is not the vast sky large enough for both of them? Pray, my little one, pray in your heart that God may make peace between your winged brothers.”

 

And the lamb prayed in his heart.

Today - The importance of ORDER.

I know that I have commented on this before but I strongly believe that today, in April 2022, it is even more necessary for Governments, all Governments, to be VERY careful.

 

These turbulent and extraordinary times require that we should all take time to reflect on what we, as belonging to the species Homo Sapiens (“wise man”?) can start doing now and keep on doing into the future. 

 

We need to reflect on the full meaning of the term “civilization” and how this is expressed by our current ways of life and the general disorder we generate.

 

Such reflections may, just may, help to redress the disastrous and damaging ways we, as a species are despoiling the very Earth, the Nature, we need for survival.

 

To this end I offer the following extracts from quite an old book – but the sentiments expressed are, to my mind, still valid and very true:-

 

From “African Genesis” by Robert Ardrey, (Fontana Books paperback, 1970).

Pages 393/394:-

 

“But no animal compulsion stands alone in the debate of our instincts. And so I return to my second assertion, that civilization is a product of evolution and an expression of nature’s most ancient law. Far antedating the predatory urge in our animal nature, far more deeply buried than conscience or territory or society lies that shadowy, mysterious undefinable command of the kind, the instinct for order. And so, when a predatory species came rapidly to evolve its inherent talent for disorder, natural selection favoured, as a factor in human survival, the equally rapid evolvement of that sublimating, inhibiting, super-territorial institution which we call, loosely, civilization.

 

It is a jerry-built structure, and a more unattractive edifice could scarcely be imagined. It’s greyness is appalling. It’s walls are cracked and eggshell this. It’s foundations are shallow, it’s antiquity slight…… Yet however humiliating the path may be, man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must in last resort turn to that chamber of dull horrors, Human enlightenment. For he has nowhere else to turn.

 

If man is to survive without war, a gloomier conclusion could not be written that that this fragile, despicable, unattractive structure must become our last court of appeal. It has failed us consistently in the past. It tends to fall down every thousand years or so.”

…….

 

“But the choice is not ours. Never to be forgotten, to be neglected, to be derided, is the inconspicuous figure in the quiet back room. He sits with head bent, silent, waiting, listening to the commotion in the streets. He is the keeper of the kinds.

 

Who is he? We do not know. Nor shall we ever. He is a presence, and that is all. But his presence is evident in the last reaches of infinite space beyond man’s probing eye. His presence is guessable in the last reaches of smallness beyond the magnification of electron microscope. He is present in all living beings and all inanimate matter. His presence is asserted in all things that ever were, and in all things that will ever be. And as his command is unanswerable, his identity is unknowable. But his most ancient concern is for order.”

……

 

“You may read his command in the regularity of turning things, in stars and seasons, in tides and in striking clocks….”

 

“Where a child is born or a man lies dead; where life must go on though tragedy deny it; where a farmer replants fields despoiled by flood or drought; where men rebuild cities that other men destroy; where tides must ebb as tides have flowed; there, see his footprints, there and there.”

 

 He does not care about you, or about me, or about man for that matter. He cares only for order. But whatever he says, we shall do. He is rising now, in civilization’s quiet back room, and he is looking out the window.”

 

War.

I always thought that the old saying, “War is sweet to those that know it not” was of Roman origin but apparently it is from ancient Greece - from the Greek poet Pindar (518BC – 438BC), to be exact. I have no knowledge of the Greek language but have a fragmentary knowledge of Latin and Pindar’s original Greek is the origin of the Latin proverb "Dulce bellum inexpertis" which is translated (more or less) as, “War is sweet to those that know it not”.

 

The continuation of what Pindar wrote is; “but the experienced man trembles exceedingly at heart on its approach.”

 

I believe that this proverb is as true today as it was 2500 years ago. 

 

In the name of God, why start a war? Why? 

 

It is my firm belief that human ego and pride are the reasons. These two give rise to the widespread misconception of “us” and “them”. Us being always better, more intelligent and culturally advanced than them and that “our” God is better than “their” God. Therefore it matters not how we treat such inferior beings – God is on “our” side!

 

The old concept of the Scapegoat is very apparent – always blame “them” – awful, inferior people. Now the Ukrainians are termed Nazis and must be eliminated. Sound familiar?

 

It takes two to tango – as the old saying goes. It stands to reason that differences of opinion will arise (humans being the fickle creatures they are) therefore it will always be necessary for there to be (as Winston Churchill famously phrased it) more “jaw, jaw” and less “war, war”. And “jaw, jaw” is always less costly in human life and material than “war, war” – always.

 

Vladimir Putin was born, in Leningrad (since renamed back to its original St Petersburg), on 7 October 1952 – so he has no direct, feet on the ground, shooting, experience of war. There is, however, something that we all need to be aware of – both Putin’s parents experienced the Second World War first hand, his mother in the terrible siege of Leningrad and his father, a soldier, was severely wounded fighting the Nazis.

It is now recognized, and is well documented, that trauma of any type affects a person’s body, not just the brain and mind. Trauma affects the “epigenetics” – those proteins that trigger genetic activity – in fact the “Body Keeps the Score” (the title of a book by psychiatrist, Bessel Van Der Kolk).

It will therefore come as no surprise if it is ever determined that Putin is suffering from the traumatic events experienced by his parents. 

I thought this might be interesting

Updated January 29, 2021

I thought this might be an interesting comparison with the CURRENT Covid19 pandemic.

The war deaths figures below are taken from Wikipedia and the CURRENT Covid-19 figures are taken from the John Hopkins University statistics (as at January 29, 2021).

So far in 120 YEARS of warfare the US has suffered 627, 549 deaths.

So far, in just 13 MONTHS since January 1, 2020, the US has suffered 433, 213 Covid-19 deaths.

 Wars – since 1900 - ranked by total number of U.S. military deaths.

Rank	War	Years	Deaths
1	World War II	1941–45	405,399
2	World War I	1917–18	116,516
3	Vietnam War	1961–75	58,209
4	Korean War	1950–53	36,516
5	Iraq War	2003–11	4,497
6	Philippine–American War	1899–1902	4,196
7	War in Afghanistan	2001–present	2,216
	TOTAL DEATHS		627,549

 

War is sweet to those that know it not.

I always thought that this old saying was of Roman origin but apparently it is from ancient Greece - from the Greek poet Pindar (518BC – 438BC), to be exact. I have no knowledge of the Greek language but have a fragmentary knowledge of Latin and Pindar’s original Greek is the origin of the Latin proverb "Dulce bellum inexpertis" which is translated (more or less) as, “War is sweet to those that know it not”.

The continuation of what Pindar wrote is; “but the experienced man trembles exceedingly at heart on its approach.”

I believe that this proverb is as true today as it was 2500 years ago.

In the name of God, why start a war? Why?

It is my firm belief that human ego and pride are the reasons. These two give rise to the widespread misconception of “us” and “them”. Us being always better, more intelligent and culturally advanced than them and that “our” God is better than “their” God. Therefore it matters not how we treat such inferior beings – God is on “our” side!

It takes two to tango – as the old saying goes. It stands to reason that differences of opinion will arise (humans being the fickle creatures they are) therefore it will always be necessary for there to be (to use a Churchillian phrase) more “jaw, jaw” and less “war, war”. And “jaw, jaw” is always less costly in human life and material than “war, war” – always.

The current standoff between the USA and North Korea will not end without some serious negotiations and plenty of “jaw, jaw”. A conflict is unthinkable and should not be considered. Conflicts always, repeat always, leave a host of unintended consequences to contend with afterwards. Imagine what would happen to the about 25 million North Koreans if the regime was defeated in a conflict – who would govern the country? Who would police them and restore law and order (very different from what they had known before)? What would happen to the millions of refugees who would try to flee the conflict? Who would feed and care for them? Who would finance and help rebuild the country? Would South Korea have the means or the inclination to reintegrate a heavily indoctrinated populace into a new order of events (for North Koreans) and thereby increasing the South's population by about 50%? Would China? Would the USA?

Remember it took about eight years (or so I believe) to reintegrate East Germany into the now unified Germany.

While I am certainly no expert on North Korea I have a strong suspicion that the current leader may adopt the end idealized by Hitler and invoke the “Gotterdammerung” approach, “If my Kim family cannot rule the country anymore then no one will” – kind of thing. Remember North Korea is a nuclear country and they have the will and the means to lay waste to the entire country.

 This sort of thing is not to be contemplated – ever.

PTSD and those who suffer.

That people suffer the after effects of traumatic events is indisputable and very unfortunate for those experiencing the emotional and mental upheaval – whether or not they have had it diagnosed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Yet this condition – PTSD - was “created” by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) only in their1980 third revision – DSM III. Prior to this date – while people certainly suffered – it was not categorized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Traumatic and highly stressful experiences rob us of our belief that we can keep ourselves safe in the world and we wait anxiously for the next traumatic event and react nervously to every unexpected sound –compounding our fearful expectations. Whatever our traumatic experience it is important to remember that such events, though terrible, evoke responses that are ordinary human responses to extraordinary circumstances. Everyone going through such an “out of normal” and fearful experience needs comfort and support, just as we all need comfort and support when, for instance, we are injured, lose a close friend or someone we love. But to categorize our ordinary reactions to this fear or grief as a “mental disorder” both diminishes and demeans our experience. We have had this experience, which is outside our normal expectations, and we react by trying to master our memory of the event and the emotions that are evoked. The mind will often attempt to ‘retreat’ from unpleasant life circumstances. It will do so in the only way it can, by going to a place of refuge and shutting off the ‘hurt’. This can manifest in many ways – as ‘depression’, as apparently delusional thoughts or neurotic behaviour. Such reactions far from being an “illness” are but a desperate attempt to preserve our concept of self, our identity, which is in danger of being overwhelmed.

Since humans first evolved millions of people would have experienced highly stressful or traumatic events. People in antiquity, as far as I understand history, would have suffered the after effects of the trauma experienced in battles and ever present likelihood of being captured and taken into slavery. Similarly in their daily experiences with the natural world of their times – wild animal, floods, earthquakes, droughts, starvation and such like would have tested the resilience of the strongest characters.  

With the winding down of the military activities in Afghanistan many military personnel are arriving home with emotional and psychological scars which need to be healed. Assistance is available for those who wish to take advantage of what is offered.

What happens, however, to those Iraqis, Afghans or Sri Lankans who were caught in the middle – between government military and the Taliban, supporters of Al-Qaeda or militants fighting for their cause? Those people who lost their livelihood, family members or were themselves severely injured by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) or who suffered revenge attacks because they happen to support the “wrong” side – what support do they get? Do they cry? Do they dull the pain with opium? Do they get drunk?

As in most wars it is women and children who bear the brunt of trauma; in all countries it is women and children who endure the effects of violence and abuse of any kind. What support do they get from anyone – anyone at all? What is of great concern about any traumatic event is the long term health effects, even generational health effects it may have on people – possibly even those not yet born.  

Drugs, except in the very short term, generally don’t help and are not a “cure” for PTSD. In any event the side effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics are quite severe. Furthermore to suggest chemicals can address the distressing flash-backs, the recurring memories and recollections, the guilt, the “what if …” or the “if only…” is plain wrong. All chemicals do is to help dull the pain and put a brake on the expression of any emotional response – they have the effect of “dumbing down” the sufferer. This may be good – in the very short term – to give a person time to gain strength but let it be known that there is no known test for a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. Let it be known, also, that no one knows how to measure the “chemical balance” for any person’s brain or to determine what such a “balance” should be.

What is needed is counselling and as much love and emotional support that the PTSD sufferer can get – and time, and sleep, that “knits the ravelled sleeve of care” (Shakespeare – Macbeth).