War

(Originally written - June 01, 2008)

War - Never Vanquished, Ever Seductive

© 2011, Marc E. Brodeur

I have always sensed an uncanny symbiosis with the WWII generation. Actually, I'm a mid-era baby boomer born in 1954. Last night I was watching the A&E presentation about General Eisenhower and the prelude to D-Day. Somehow, I felt an empathy and a presence in that part of history.

I was greatly impressed by the depiction of the Supreme Commander's concern and compassion for the lives which would ransom freedom on the beaches of Normandy. I sensed at least a ghostly share of the heavy weight that he carried. I was also awestruck by the speech he made to the King and Queen of England as he presented the plans for Operation Overlord (I have no idea of the historical accuracy of this scene.) When His Majesty questioned the inevitable carnage that the invasion plans required, General Eisenhower, portrayed by Tom Selleck, reverently acknowledged the human cost of freedom and prognosticated the apocalyptic inevitability [quoted to the best of my recollection], "If they do not offer the sacrifice of their blood now, we will pay dearly with extra gallons later."

So, we find ourselves facing evil once again in 2004. Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are merely Satan's latest personnas. Yet, they are uniquely symptomatic of a deeper disease like festering boils on the dark hindquarters of humanity. The true evil is the ponderous and pervasive hostility, malevolence and hatred that gnaw at the soul of humanity. Like an unrelenting cancer, it seems that jealousy, greed, selfishness, lust, power and fear cannot be destroyed but merely coaxed into ephemeral and mortal remission.

Americans are not any more or less inherently evil than the other six billion hominal inhabitants of this island in the cosmos, but our societal imperfections and failings are too willingly dismissed or arrogantly denied by the self righteous who attribute the greatness and power of our nation to God's approval and blessing.

I see this crusade against the first "ism" of the third millenia much like the fight against the evils of Nazism, Facism, and Communism. The sacrifices that have been and will yet be made in Afghanistan and Iraq are as necessary and tragic as those made on the beaches of Normandy. America is leading the global battle against this contemporay incarnation of evil called "terrorism." Yet, the best we can ever achieve is a stalemate with evil as we futily wrest and subdue our inherent malevolence into dormant and restless hibernation, just as the sacrifices at Normandy and the horrors of the atom bomb did in WWII.

How do we mitigate this manifestly unremitting curse? I wonder. Do we even want to?

Faith


I cannot prove that God exists. God transcends human understanding. There are no scientific methods, experiments or tangible observations that can be made to test His existence. There is no flow of logic from premise to syllogisms to conclusion that validate this proposition. It is at least somewhat comforting that the converse cannot be proven either. The evidence of His absence is indistinguishable from the absence of the evidence. Appealing to ignorance to derive a proof is a fallacy.

I believe in God without insisting that the arrogant human demand for control of the universe be satisfied. God need not be bound by the laws of Physics, sometimes regarded as synonymous with "Natural Law". God is "super" natural. God is divine.

That I can believe and desire to believe are evidence enough of His existence. That I feel Him within me as surely as I feel my own heartbeat, I have no doubt. That is His gift which I freely and happily accept.

The world is immense and complex. It's vastness includes space, matter, energy and life. These provide a canvas for beauty and love. I see beauty everywhere. I know love. God is love.

God is real.

Free Will

I was remembering how two moral concepts, loyalty and service to my country and dedication to God and the Catholic Church, were so strongly inculcated during my early years at St. Anne School. It caused me to realize why the constitutional precept of separation of church and state, a dubious interpretation of the First Amendment, evokes such an allergic reaction in me. My country in a sense is "my mother" as much as God is my "Father" (capitalization asserted out of respect for Him.) In my conscience they are inseparable. But, is my dedication to God and Country a result of early brainwashing, the American Catholic equivalent of the "Hilter Youth effect" ? Or, have I indeed developed an informed conscience and sense of right, wrong, morality, loyalty, faith, etc., with which to freely regulate my behavior?

I believe "Free Will" is a gift from God. I "choose" to believe. It is the fact that I am making a choice that proves I am exercising my free will. This very essay in which I examine and question my choice is further evidence. If I am cognizant enough to ask the question then am I not intellectually free to choose my path? ("Cognito, ergo, sum." I think, therefore, I am.") But, this entire dilemma of philosophical issues needs examination.

Are we not indoctrinated with the "morally correct" answers during our formation in school, i.e., provided with an informed conscience by an infallible moral authority? Would you deny Christ as Peter did? Would you denounce God to be spared the sword? Would you betray your country to save your life? Are you Benedict Arnold or Nathan Hale? Catholic school certainly had it's scary days!

Yet, in spite of the brainwashing, (oops! er ... ummm... I mean "formation") do we not have a free will? Can we not find our courage in our own conscience? Can we choose the righteous path, not because it is the expected and proclaimed "morally correct" response, but because we know it is the way of truth?

Ambition's Lament

I entertain so many interests. Yet, I command so little time, money and energy. How did DaVinci do it? I mean how did he generate all the ideas, inventions and paintings. I suppose I can accept that he was a gifted superior intellect bounding with creativity, but the commensurate productivity is so impressive as to almost be suspect.
I have many interests. My mind burns for stimulation like an addict writhing for a fix. Electronic wizardry was once my drug of choice. Eventually, the irresistible progression of technology evolved my demons to include computers and programming. As time went on, other creative endeavors that revived simpler technologies teased at me with their devilish allure. Woodworking, cooking, and yes, prosaic and poetic expression all bait my curiosity.
Oh! The frustration with the elusiveness of accomplishment in so many pursuits. Marshalling simultaneously the time, money, and energy to devote to all of these beckoning aspirations would be a marvelous feat indeed. How did DaVinci do it?