Random thoughts about war

So I'm sitting here in a Guam attending a presentation on roaming and the speaker is for a regional provider in Saipan.  He's droning on about the area and the history of his company.  Its good to remember the details that make up the history of your company and country.  But in the middle of it he mentions that Saipan includes the smaller isle of Tinian where the Enola Gay took off on its historic flight.

It struck me that in that moment this businessman is celebrating an event that killed over 100,000 human beings in one firey instance on August 6th, 1945.  While I know this event probably saved many thousands of lives and ended a horrific war I still have a problem "celebrating" it.  This history needs to be remembered.  But I think it needs to be remembered for what it was, one of the saddest days of human history.

Despite 1000's of years of demonstrated proof we have not learned that killing people you don't agree with is not going to really solve the world's problems.  I believe in soldiers.  I believe the military can be nobel.  I believe you do have to fight sometimes to protect yourself.  But you should do it with tears in your heart.  Tears for a failure where no other course was possible where this son did not have to die.

I'm here on this trip with Atif.  A colleague and fellow engineer.  He is a devout Muslim and I think I respect him more than any human being I have ever met.  He is quiet and unimposing and a strong believer in peace.  He has taught me a great deal about the true way of Islam.  I am eternally grateful for this insight.  While any religion can be twisted away from its true purpose, I am filled with almost a shame that I have not learned as much about peace as this man.  These people we now fear and blame for our issue today--they are not the targets... they are not the responsible...  Yes the men that destroyed the World Trade Center called themselves Muslim, but even so how many did they kill?  And how many have we now killed?  And what kind of system of measure is this anyway where we must count the lives destroyed, the deep paralyzing sorrows dealt, and the children orphaned?

It is grim work ahead of us.  Grim, messy, bloody work.  We certainly can't just stop this war in Iraq... the lives sacrificed have been too costly.  We must learn and heal.  One side can not win.  We can only win together with these people.