Mission
I've been contemplating something of late. This recent security debacle – leak - that could have put American pilots at risk when they went on a bombing mission. Thankfully they came home safe. But there are two words that suddenly stood out to me there.
Bombing mission.
I found myself asking a question. Does a pilot or a plane crew on a military aircraft ever think about the results of a "successful" bombing mission? Do they contemplate the fact that the bombs they dropped undoubtably destroyed lives, both literally and figuratively? Is it hard to rationalize? Do they take responsibility for it? Or is it just obeying orders, meaning the blame gets passed back to the top. You put it aside, you don’t think about it.
Perhaps until later.
In WWII, the crew of the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. One hundred and forty thousand people died. Some years later, Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot and commander of the Enola Gay said this. “You're gonna kill innocent people but we've never fought a damn war anywhere in the world where they didn't kill innocent people. If the newspapers would just cut out the s--- 'You've killed so many civilians.' That's their tough luck for being there."
Remorse? It sounds like anything but. It sounds like man being challenged for his actions and he doesn’t like it, it fills him with anger. And then there was Capt. Theodore Van Kirk, the plane’s navigator. He said this in 2004.
"I pray no man will have to witness that sight again. Such a terrible waste, such a loss of life. We unleashed the first atomic bomb, and I hope there will never be another. I pray that we have learned a lesson for all time. But I'm not sure that we have."
When I see photos of war-torn Gaza I feel lessons have not been learned. Sometimes it seems as if war and violence are part of the human condition. “Thou shalt not kill” is the sixth of the Ten Commandments, a fundamental law emphasizing the sanctity of life. However the wording in the Bible specifically refers to unlawful killing, distinguishing it from killing in war. Meaning it’s just fine to go up in that airplane and drop those bombs and not think about the lives that have just gone up in flames. Fine to give the orders, fine to obey them.
Isn’t it?
This immediate and heartfelt reply from a friend, the Reverend Blayney Colmore. May I also say that I unequivocally support the brave people who protect our nation. Thank you, Blayney.
It’s a subject we mostly steer clear of, because it can seem unpatriotic, like not supporting those who fight. But, are we finally paying attention to what we have learned about those we send to create carnage, supposedly for our “freedom?” PTSD is by now a well known phenomenon. The reality is, no matter the brave talk, it’s impossible for all but a sociopath to inflict harm on another person without reciprocal trauma. As Dr. King said, “Violence only begets violence.” His nonviolent protests were intended to protect protestors from becoming like those they were protesting against.
And this from another friend, former service member, Walter Crumpler.
It is man's inhumanity to man being repeated throughout history. It seems we as a human race have evolved in certain technological ways, but yet we seem doomed to repeated acts of violence against one another. Most of the major conflicts are political, ideological or religious based acts of aggression. It is not the common daily citizen committing these horrendous acts of mass destruction, but twisted ideological brainwashed or insane individuals, politicians or government regimes with individuals hell bent on making a point or example to become a martyr or bring¹ world attention to their cause. This human behavior of revenge or to avenge wrongful acts is as old as an eye for an eye. The current media onslaught of violence coverage and political tit for tat propaganda we are bombarded with daily only feeds the basic human instinct of fear and retribution. The world is the same as it was hundreds or thousands of years ago. It is man and his socio- technogical changes that have occurred. Now with modern technology, a shot is heard around the world in a live stream. It is then picked up by media outlets as it gains more and more media momentum. The thought of this instant media coverage is what fuels much of the world violence. Religious or political zealots take advantage of this technological advance to spread their agenda. Governments then react with more counter violence. Media plants it one way or another, feeding the frenzy. What happened to man's brotherhood to man? It's still there but it's not a news worthy item as the larger more violent stories are forefront. This cycle will never end but only get worse. Eventually a terrorist group or radical government with create a nuclear act and it will all go downhill very quickly. God help us for we do not know what we are doing… The acts of terrorism and war retribution by both sides is predictable. The terrorists use tactics to create terror by using the cover of normally innocuous facilities or structures not usually associated with normal targets of war, IE schools, hospitals, apartment buildings. The tactic of tunneling under Is not new. The idea of killing and kidnapping innocent civilians is not new. The war retribution is of biblical event fashion. And here is where it gets interesting. It is all already written in the book of Revelations in the Bible. These catastrophic world events are foretold to us and being played out like a script. It is as if the ending act has already been written and the entire world is just a stage. We seem powerless to stop this madness No matter what we do. This once great Nation is so divided now thanks to the same political, ideological and religious impetus driving the world mad. We cannot agree or come to a concensus because we are being driven to hate one another because it is PC. America has been dumbed down and everyone is too busy just trying to chase the devaluating dollar to survive. We are being driven like cattle to slaughter by the in vogue marketing media to drive this vehicle or buy that product. The propaganda agenda by all sides too sounds in every waking moment to repeatedly remind us what was said or done by opposing politicians that are only trying to push their agendas. What does all that political rhetoric gain us as regular citizens? Nothing positive but it stirs anger, resentment and frustration over situations that we as individuals have control over, but are affected by the negative fallout of the political wars at play. Your example of Dr Martin Luther King is a prime example of what has happened to everyone of the individuals in human history that have a message of peace and harmony. They all come to a violent end at the hands of fellow man because their message is so powerful that governments and political zealots fear these peace preaching individuals more than terrorists. A message of peace, tranquility and brotherhood amongst humanity would put an end to their world driven by power, money, marketing, political/religious agendas and wars.
It is man's inhumanity to man being repeated throughout history. It seems we as a human race have evolved in certain technological ways, but yet we seem doomed to repeated acts of violence against one another.
Most of the major conflicts are political, ideological or religious based acts of aggression.
It is not the common daily citizen committing these horrendous acts of mass destruction, but twisted ideological brainwashed or insane individuals, politicians or government regimes with individuals hell bent on making a point or example to become a martyr or bring¹ world attention to their cause.
This human behavior of revenge or to avenge wrongful acts is as old as an eye for an eye. The current media onslaught of violence coverage and political tit for tat propaganda we are bombarded with daily only feeds the basic human instinct of fear and retribution.
The world is the same as it was hundreds or thousands of years ago. It is man and his socio- technogical changes that have occurred. Now with modern technology, a shot is heard around the world in a live stream. It is then picked up by media outlets as it gains more and more media momentum. The thought of this instant media coverage is what fuels much of the world violence.
Religious or political zealots take advantage of this technological advance to spread their agenda. Governments then react with more counter violence. Media plants it one way or another, feeding the frenzy. What happened to man's brotherhood to man?
It's still there but it's not a news worthy item as the larger more violent stories are forefront. This cycle will never end but only get worse. Eventually a terrorist group or radical government with create a nuclear act and it will all go downhill very quickly. God help us for we do not know what we are doing…
The acts of terrorism and war retribution by both sides is predictable. The terrorists use tactics to create terror by using the cover of normally innocuous facilities or structures not usually associated with normal targets of war, IE schools, hospitals, apartment buildings. The tactic of tunneling under Is not new. The idea of killing and kidnapping innocent civilians is not new. The war retribution is of biblical event fashion. And here is where it gets interesting.
It is all already written in the book of Revelations in the Bible. These catastrophic world events are foretold to us and being played out like a script. It is as if the ending act has already been written and the entire world is just a stage.
We seem powerless to stop this madness No matter what we do.
This once great Nation is so divided now thanks to the same political, ideological and religious impetus driving the world mad. We cannot agree or come to a concensus because we are being driven to hate one another because it is PC.
America has been dumbed down and everyone is too busy just trying to chase the devaluating dollar to survive. We are being driven like cattle to slaughter by the in vogue marketing media to drive this vehicle or buy that product. The propaganda agenda by all sides too sounds in every waking moment to repeatedly remind us what was said or done by opposing politicians that are only trying to push their agendas.
What does all that political rhetoric gain us as regular citizens? Nothing positive but it stirs anger, resentment and frustration over situations that we as individuals have control over, but are affected by the negative fallout of the political wars at play.
Your example of Dr Martin Luther King is a prime example of what has happened to everyone of the individuals in human history that have a message of peace and harmony. They all come to a violent end at the hands of fellow man because their message is so powerful that governments and political zealots fear these peace preaching individuals more than terrorists.
A message of peace, tranquility and brotherhood amongst humanity would put an end to their world driven by power, money, marketing, political/religious agendas and wars.