The previous blog triggered my memory of a poem I wrote about my mother who was deported from her home in Turkey in 1915. Maybe that's why I feel so strongly about the amount of weaponry in the hands of those who set in motion the suffering that war and violence cause.
AT THEIR MERCY
My mother had hopes and dreams
But men in power did not know
Or care. Their hearts were set
On entering the Great War.
Would these mighty men
Think about the innocent
Who'd suffer or lose their lives
Or the greatness of their warrior name?
Mom’s future and even her life
Depended upon their choices
Why is it powerful men
See only the Romance in War?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Armaments and War:
I was taken aback when I was told about an old Arabic writing that says...millions will work so that millions will die. My immediate thought went to armaments and I wanted to know who the largest exporter of arms is. I checked Wikipedia and to my dismay, I discovered the answer. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it is the United States of America.
That triggered another thought. What about those Americans who work in the industry and bring those arms to fruition? Are they truly aware of the results of their livelihood? Millions die in smaller or greater wars. Will karma eventually affect those workers for contributing to the pain and suffering of those innocents who are collateral damage...as if those victims are not worthy human beings in the scheme of violence and/or war? Who is the beneficiary? After all there are many who profit from violence and war...some financially, others who gain political power and those who act like high school bullies as their identities become inflated as they occupy lands that don’t belong to them.
It is said the greatest addiction is the addiction to power. Are those political leaders and power brokers of war individuals whose primary motivation is to gain more power? Do these warring men have good hearts or are their hearts infected with fear, violence and hatred?
Where is that world leader who recognizes the futility of the arms industry and speaks about the suffering those arms cause to fellow human beings? Where are those political leaders with good hearts who can create a better future for our fast growing global interdependent world?
I was taken aback when I was told about an old Arabic writing that says...millions will work so that millions will die. My immediate thought went to armaments and I wanted to know who the largest exporter of arms is. I checked Wikipedia and to my dismay, I discovered the answer. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it is the United States of America.
That triggered another thought. What about those Americans who work in the industry and bring those arms to fruition? Are they truly aware of the results of their livelihood? Millions die in smaller or greater wars. Will karma eventually affect those workers for contributing to the pain and suffering of those innocents who are collateral damage...as if those victims are not worthy human beings in the scheme of violence and/or war? Who is the beneficiary? After all there are many who profit from violence and war...some financially, others who gain political power and those who act like high school bullies as their identities become inflated as they occupy lands that don’t belong to them.
It is said the greatest addiction is the addiction to power. Are those political leaders and power brokers of war individuals whose primary motivation is to gain more power? Do these warring men have good hearts or are their hearts infected with fear, violence and hatred?
Where is that world leader who recognizes the futility of the arms industry and speaks about the suffering those arms cause to fellow human beings? Where are those political leaders with good hearts who can create a better future for our fast growing global interdependent world?
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