War (Or What We Think It Is)

I really think war is one of the most difficult concepts to accurately portray because of it is so charged with different depictions through the media, current and ancient culture, as well as reality. Thoughts like this have come from my current study of the Vietnam war and its complicated nature, as well since it was experienced by people who were around my age when they were there (around 19-23 years old). In reality, on many levels, war is a manifestation of immense individual and structural sin of humanity, when people cannot agree so they resort to mass violence and destroy the lives and property of both combatants and innocents. On the other hand culture and the media can give a very different picture, especially when presented to young men.

I have especially felt this conflict within myself whenever I am presented with images and stories of war, conflict, and combat. In depths of my heart, I know that at its root war is a flaw of mankind and mass destroyer of life, but from time to time the idea of combat can still swell my heart with excitement and a hunger for adventure of danger. I still remember my days of being a cadet in high school and my year of ROTC and the excitement of learning combat formations and movements, crawling into mock ambushes in the tall grass during war games, my heart racing with excitement and my senses tuned to pinpoint precision. To some degree that promise of excitement and adventure was part of why I began training for the military. Later I left because I realized that I just was not meshing with the military culture and that I realized that I was ultimately being trained to kill people, but I still hate it so much whenever from time to time I long for the adventure of combat and "noble battle".

Let me just say that I in no way have experienced real combat do I claim to identify with those who have gone into and participated in hostilities during war. However, I can I identify somewhat with the "glamourous" side of combat and how we are shown that much more than the harsh and ugly realities. I know that there really is no "individual" that can be blamed for this, but I do know that it something that many people needed to healed from. I know that I do.