Love the Little Children of the World

by r

I've seen this movie—haven't you? Nobody wins anything. The ground is scorched forever, and nothing brings all those children that have died back into our arms: not our government, not our values, not our celebrities or glorious blue-light specials. NOTHING.

When one of the major networks decided to show a clip of Middle-Eastern children playing while a famous anchor read, "...U.S. officials state that there is now an acceptable level of human casualties..." I thought the world had indeed gone insane. The idea that children—anyone's children—were considered an acceptable causality of war was completely ludicrous. This wasn't the Taliban afterall, this was an American network spreading the deceitful germ of propaganda, preparing the public for a global conflict, the likes of which we have never seen before. President Bush didn't declare war on any one nation, he declared war on the entire planet, "Wherever terrorism lives and breathes." C'mon, folks, sounds sorta science fiction. The President, with the Senate cheering behind him, declares out n' out global war. Finally everything is in ruins, millions have died, and a few crawl out of the rubble, brush themselves off and plant the flag in blackened soil screaming, "We won!" I've seen this movie—haven't you? Nobody wins anything. The ground is scorched forever, and nothing brings all those children that have died back into our arms: not our government, not our values, not our celebrities or glorious blue-light specials. NOTHING. They die, we die, EVERYBODY DIES.

I'm praying that America will wake up from this nightmare and reconsider the options. If we, as a super power, do not take some responsibility for the aggression others show us, and seek alternatives to war, we will see devastation to rival the special effects of any mega-million dollar science fiction flick—it's almost guaranteed. Instead of joining in, throwing sticks and stones as propaganda warrants, hug your children, yield the right-of-way, make your family and friends more important than the almighty dollar. Flags and patriotism are great, wonderful, we must believe in one another, but kill the children of far-off lands and say it's for the good of the country? Shame on us for even suggesting it. That type of rhetoric got us here in the first place. Remember, we've got lousy karma, folks—we're the only super power to have ever dropped the atomic bomb, not once, but twice—so think about that while we wave the flag, calling strangers lunatics and fanatics.

Those responsible for the bombings on our soil must be held accountable and punished in a court of law. I believe that we can do that. Do I believe that we can wipe terrorism off the face of the earth? No, I do not. It's an empty promise wrapped in a politician's fancy rhetoric: it's really just a lot of razzle-dazzle in the end. Unfortunately, terrorism will be with us forever. There will always be some group of people that use violence as a way to communicate their beliefs. Let's not use their methods to convey ours. Let's keep our minds open; don't close the doors of reason because our emotions told us so. Instead, take that emotion and look to the children all around you. When you look into their eyes, remember, they are not yours,' alone; they are the world's, to love and cherish. So relax, take a deep breath, and unclench your fist for a moment... and above all else, please love the little children of the world.