Trembling Before The Gods Of War

President George W. Bush, like the vast majority of the American public, knows war primarily through the cinematic lens. "Rambo," "Delta Force," and a host of other movies oozing self-righteous machismo present war as a football match pitting good guys against bad. The daily misery of war as lived experience does not make the final editing cut in Hollywood.

On screen, the decisive battle comes and goes in a flash, the hero emerges triumphant, no innocents are scarred or damaged, and everyone goes home happy and proud. This is war as fought and won by gods, which most Americans, especially our leaders, consider themselves to be, particularly after the collapse of the USSR. Since 1991, we have been the main attraction: The Superpower, The Sole Leader of the World, The Strongest People on the Planet. What we say, goes.

After living in the Middle East for most of the last six years, I am continually taken aback by this characteristically American hubris. Sadly, even those earnest war protesters waving placards and shouting slogans before the White House seem supremely self- confident to my eyes, eyes that have seen war. I envy the protesters' easy assumption that the values, beliefs, and principles that they hold dear can possibly halt the gears of war--and war's commerce--already set in motion, now virtually unstoppable.

Two years ago, while living in Lebanon, I had my first taste of war. It is a metallic taste, a bitter taste of repressed sorrow, rage, and fear that can neither be swallowed nor vomited. These corrosive emotions stick in your throat day after endless day. And I only saw 16 days of war: the Israeli assault on Lebanon code-named "Grapes of Wrath." That was enough time for me to learn how war disrupts your digestion, your schedule, and your relationships. Tempers flare, sleep evaporates, and concentration disintegrates. z
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  thanks to Aron's Israel Peace Weblog