Correr Es Mi Destino

Today, we’re blogging for peace.

According to Wikipedia, “peace can be a state of harmony or the absence of hostility. “Peace” can also be a non-violent way of life. “Peace” is used to describe the cessation of violent conflict. Peace can mean a state of quiet or tranquility — an absence of disturbance or agitation. Peace can also describe a relationship between any people characterized by respect, justice, and goodwill. Peace can describe calmness, serenity, and silence“.

Glad to see we achieved none of these goals. Absence of hostility? I opened the newspaper today and saw people getting killed in Israel, in Palestine, in Sudan, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Congo, in Pakistan… — the only reasons it stopped there is because the newspapers had ran out of space. Hey, no wonder, with about 50 countries currently at war for a reason or another. Are we living a non-violent style of life? Nope. It sometimes looks like there is no enough room for all of us on earth: our favorite games seem to be taunting, envying, blaming and killing each other. In every day’s life as in war zones, we like to be right and well, if we’re right, the opponent has to be wrong, isn’t it?

Why do we fight today ? Because they attacked us first. Civil war. Biological war. Because we want to protect our values. Holy war and war gods. Because they have the bomb and they’re not supposed to. Preventive war, atomic war. Because they torture. War crimes. Because we have weapons to sell. Economic war. War of attrition. Phony war. War games.

I’m tired of all these clichés about wars and the need to fight. A war as no morality, no matter how hard our leaders try to sell it. Nothing can justify violence, period. Wars are fueled by racial, ethnic, religious animosities or ideological fervor. How do you teach someone peace by fighting? How are we making things better? Is there really a civilization above all others who has the surpreme right? Don’t we all know, by now, that there is no right or wrong and that today’s legitimate reason to attack will be tomorrow’s legitimate reason to defend?

No, we don’t.

See, the war lords are demanding but they call the shots. Casus belli or not, here they come. Empires were lost but they stick around. All it takes is propaganda after all.

And I see them on CNN, 24/7 coverage. The other side of the food chain. They’re my age and they signed for it. Cannon fodder sent back home when broken. I feel for them cause it could have been me. I see these “casualties”, these “collateral damages”, these civilians killed and these families mourning — what have they done? Nothing. Just living. I watch them and I feel powerless. I feel mad.

Clean war(s) ? Not quite.

I’m mad, because we don’t have to fight. It doesn’t make any sense.

I’m hoping for peace. I hope you do too.