posted on May, 26 2019 @ 03:48 PM
First of all, a hearty "thank you" to everyone who served. You are all heroes. Enjoy your day; you earned much more than that. Sometimes I think we
need a "non-memorial day" because you deserve the other 364.
There was a time, not long ago, when I would have agreed with everything in that OP. I still agree that the "other side" is human and has desires,
dreams, and wants just like anyone else. But... and this was hard for me to wrap my head around... it is not possible to respect those anymore.
I would that we lived in a world where human and human could sit down and talk things out, try to find common ground, try to understand each other,
and maybe even end up agreeing on tough issues. We used to live in such a world. I distinctly remember it. But trying to sit down with many of these
other humans has become an exercise in futility. It's not that we disagree - disagreement is expected - but rather that some, and by some I mean far
too many, do not want to agree on anything. My way or the highway.
It started some time back several years ago. I was raised to respect others and it genuinely bothered me if I did something to offend or harm another
in some way. When I said the words "I'm sorry" it meant something to me: it meant that I actually regretted my actions. But then I realized that it
was no longer being taken that way... instead, what the other person heard was "I am weak and vulnerable; attack me more." So I stopped saying that
(mostly; old habits die hard).
Today, just the phrase "can we agree..." is not taken as an intention to find common ground; it is taken as an indication that the speaker is weak and
flexible, and as an invitation to press for whatever they are willing to give up without giving anything oneself. So, guess what? I am trying to stop
saying that as well.
This will lead to war; always has. Lumenari is correct that we are in a soft war already, but it will harden. Those who try to find peace where peace
cannot exist will find their very being destroyed. So, just as on an active battlefield one invites death if one tries to negotiate, so too does one
invite destruction if one tries to negotiate now. The war is on; pick a side or be tossed to the side. There is no other choice.
Perhaps some one will surprise me. Perhaps someone will find a neutral ground where negotiation can take place again and avert an all-out shooting
war. I hope so, but I have little faith that will happen. At one time, I thought perhaps ATS would remain a neutral ground for calm discussion of
ideas, but it seems that has fallen by the wayside; too much anger, too much hate, to much ire. It would surprise me even more if it were to happen
before the streets become killing fields over ideology and the sewers turn red. Humans are simply not very good at avoiding such things. History tells
us that if it tells us anything.
In one way, I blame the video games... I think people have this idea that if they die on a battlefield they can respawn and continue fighting.
Unfortunately, it don't work that way outside of the virtual world.
TheRedneck