Last night I picked up Vol. 1 of War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk - I read the Forward and I had to blogpost on my thoughts concerning a portion of it.
The forwards says:
"War and Remembrance is a historical romance. The subject is World War II, the viewpoint American.
...
...that war is an old habit of thought, an old frame of mind, an old political technique, that must now pass as human sacrifice and human slavery have passed. I have faith that the human spirit will prove equal to the long heavy task of ending war. Against the pessimistic mood of our time, I think that the human spirit - for all its dark side that I here portray - is in essence heroic. The adventures narrated in this romance aim to show that essence in action.
The beginning of the end of War lies in Remembrance."
Washington
23 March 18978
Purim, 5738 - Herman Wouk
"...that war is an old habit of thought, an old frame of mind, an old political technique, that must now pass as human sacrifice and human slavery have passed."
Have Human Sacrifice and Human Slavery passed?
Herman Wouk seemed to think so but:
Human Sacrifice
and
Human Slavery
are not over in this world.
~~~~ So we back up a bit in what Mr. Wouk said: ~~~~~
...that war is an old habit of thought, an old frame of mind, an old political technique...
I think by the word 'OLD' that Herman Wouk uses thrice might mean passe' - That is, "No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date." as the online dictionary says.
This is fine and a wonderful idea but would only work if the second part of his statement were true. His second part is shown to be untrue from the links above and throughout the pages of newspapers across the world. There are evil people in this world willing to kill and subjugate others. There are evil people on this planet that have burned their consciences perhaps to the point of no return. There are wicked people in this world.
As long as there are people willing to murder and subjugate there must be people to stand against them. Praise the Living God that in this world we have both people and nations willing to stand up and say, "Stop or we will stop you!". In armies around the world there are people willing to sacrifice their own lives to stand against tyranny. Those forces should not be belittled by anyone that hates murder and subjugation. The evil they fight against must not be attributed to them.
The U.S. military would prefer ALL NATIONS on earth to be as free as the people they protect through their service!
It is true that war is 'old' BUT we must realize that evil people will sometimes gain control over nations therefore war is also inevitable.
prying1 sez:
As far as Mr. Wouks statement that war is an "old political technique" I would say that in this election cycle "Peace" is an "old political technique".
It worked in the '70's and 80's, even into the 90's of the last millenium but at that point in time we did not know of the terrorists living among us. The borders were just as open then but the influx of evil was not as predominant as it has become in the intervening years.
We all have an advantage over Mr. Wouk. We have the true history and the enablement of good hindsite to guide us in our immediate future. We also have peaceniks from the '60's throwing dust in the air and mixing up the good guys and the bad guys. President Bush is not the bad guy. Terrorists ramming planes into buildings are the bad guys. The U.S. Military is not the bad guy. Terrorists strapping bombs to themselves and destroying people in pizza parlors are.
John Kerry has shown the voters in this country that the Democratic party is not serious about the war against terrorism. The Democrats would prefer to place social programs above the importance of ridding the world of fanatical extremists. These same social programs will end if the terrorists are allowed to continue to their stated goals.
Many Democratic leaders refuse to see or admit that evil is in this world. Many of them consider the U.S. military to be the problem instead of the solution.
I for one salute our military and urge you to not give up nor be disheartened. You are a positive force in this world!
The human spirit ... is in essence heroic. So is our military!!!
~~~~~
VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!
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I place here for posterity the Forward in it's entirety: - (footnote *'s are mine) -
"War and Remembrance is a historical romance. The subject is World War II, the viewpoint American.
A prologue, The Winds of War, published in 1971, set the historical frame for this work by picturing the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. This is a novel of America at war, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima.
It is the main tale I had to tell. While I naturally hope that some readers, even in this rushed age, will find the time for both novels, War and Remembrance is a story in itself, and can be read without the prologue.
The theme of both novels is single. The last words of Victor Henry's* commentary on the Battle of Leyte Gulf give it plainly enough:
"Either war is finished, or we are."
I have put this theme in the colors and motion of the fiction art, so that "he who runs may read,"** and remember what happened in the worst world catastrophe. As to the history in both tales, I trust that knowing readers will find it has been presented responsibly and with care.
These two linked novels tend to one conclusion: that war is an old habit of thought, an old frame of mind, an old political technique, that must now pass as human sacrifice and human slavery have passed. I have faith that the human spirit will prove equal to the long heavy task of ending war. Against the pessimistic mood of our time, I think that the human spirit - for all its dark side that I here portray - is in essence heroic. The adventures narrated in this romance aim to show that essence in action.
The beginning of the end of War lies in Remembrance."
Washington
23 March 18978
Purim, 5738 - Herman Wouk
* Lead character in the book
** Habakuk 2:2A
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