Freda Wild

War Past and Present

I began reading a book about the history of American Indians but found it too painful to finish. I finished reading the book about Michel Thomas whose life was extraordinary. Being a jew in Poland as a child he knew racial hatred and living in France and Germany during the second world war he suffered indescribable pain. After the war he became a innovative language teacher. He proved over and over again that his method worked but until his recent death was shunned by academic institutons the world over.
Being a pacifist I have always avoided 'war books' although I well remember the spate of 'we worn the war and enjoyed fighting' films that I saw as a child. I was born at the begining of the war and the loudest message I picked up was that we the Brithish are goodies and we are fighting the baddies the Germans. I watched a lot of films in the crap cowboys and indians genre. Same message. White man good, redskin bad. The Michel Thomas biography informed me very clearly about many aspects of the political manoeverings before during and after the war of which I had no idea.
Both books left me depressed and feeling powerless. I can't change the past. But the big problem is that we should be able to change the present. I look around the world and see the same arrogant cruel oppression. Men killing other men women and children. And somehow we've managed to persuade some wome to put on uniforms. That is something else I learned early on. It's OK to murder if you are wearing a uniform as long as you stick to the rules and if
'we' make a 'mistake' (euphemism for killing civilians) all's fair in love and war. What it really means is: Those with the biggest far reaching deadliest weapons of mass destruction can use the worlds resources. You (the other) can have just enough to keep you working to ensure that we benefit from you countries natural resources. If we can invent machines to take you place watch out 'cos then we won't need you at all.
I spent 20 years fighting a personal battle. I spent 20 years anti-war campainging in the wider sense. Now every day in my little paradise I hear jets fly over and wonder why, why why, does it have to be like this? And how did so many people get conned into believing it's a religious battle? and will it ever stop? and is there anything I can do about it?

posted by Victoria Wild @ 7:23 am