Published on the 12th, but written on the night of the 11th
As Tom Petty once insightfully sang, “Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks.” Well, I have a slight amendment to make to that lyrical gem: some days are single blog days, some days are double blog days. And in this instance, today qualifies as the former of the two. So at no extra charge, this is blog number two.
I have a confession to make: tonight I skipped philosophy, a terrible offense in the world of academia, but before you judge let me offer a moral justification. Tonight was the second of two political symposiums to be held here on campus and while it is true that my failure to attend class is hardly exonerated by this fact, my time was spent in the pursuit of intellectual endeavors.
The panel consisted of several professors (philosophy, political science, geography, and economics) and the very distinguished US Senator Robert Krueger. They all offered equally unique and fascinating insights and the focus rarely stayed from the issue of Iraq and terrorism. The one thing that I has stayed with me and something I’ve been struggling to comprehend over the past few days is that these terrorists have a mission. One guest offered the idea that war is simply politics in another form, and the same can be said of terrorism. The point is that these are not random acts of malicious violence, and I imagine that many would even agree that violence for the sake of violence is of dubious merit.
Furthermore, it is important to note that both candidates are offering a cure for the symptoms, rather than the cause. The paradigm that we have no obligation to understand these peoples views and ways of life, and dismissing them as savage, barbaric killers, is one that will ultimately bring us no closer to a solution. It is also important to note that while we are certainly fighting a group of men and women who seek to harm those not in accordance with their religious views, it’s impossible to fight something so intangible as ideology.
When Bush makes statements implying that we may never be able to win this war he is absolutely correct. This is a struggle that is rooted in a groups fundamental ethos and discerning the difference between those for and those against us is impossible. Peace is ultimately unattainable, but coexistence starts with understanding and redirecting our approach. This is purely theoretical, and while this fight is definitely a “Herculean” task, the solution will require much more than military prowess and hegemony.
It’s funny how my first blog mentioned that I would do my best to abstain from speaking on political matters, and I fear politics has dominated the majority of my entries. But there is strong reason to believe this may be the most important election in my lifetime and I find myself unable to escape considering and reconsidering the situation constantly.
So, I suppose I have to get to the gym at some point tonight as well as call a girl-you see, that’s the greatest thing about this particular life-we are able to do the things that make us happy whenever we want to. But that is also the reason preservation and the protection of this life is paramount.
Random Fact: I heard this today in the Anatomy of Hatred lecture.
The odds of you or I, as an American, being the victim of a terrorist action is 65 million to one. That means you are more likely to be struck by lightning several times in the same year than being injured by a terrorist. We should keep it this way!
Quote:
In murderous times, such as these,
The heart breaks and breaks,
And lives by breaking.
-Kunitz, The Testing Tree
Until next time, I remain, in a futile attempt to understand these things,
Michael W.
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