Friday, February 25, 2022

The Dogs of War

Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP

Damn.

They've cried havoc and let slip the dogs of war. Again.  

It's a bitch.

It turns out that Vladimir Putin's bite is even worse than his bark. In the long tradition of national leaders, the top dogs who have the power to control other people's destiny, Putin has pulled the trigger.  He's used the might of the Russian military to achieve his political and personal goals. 
 
And other people, mostly young soldiers and innocent civilians, will suffer. 
 
This, of course is increasingly the case in modern warfare. The ascendancy of computerized technology, with its "smart" bombs, drones, cyber-warfare, economic sanctions, etc., has only increased the likelihood of widespread human misery -- and the wealth of those who reap obscene profits from creating endless wars.
 
I don't claim to be an expert on the Ukraine, but I do have skin in the game. As a young child I heard more Yiddish than English at family gatherings. My mother's parents, Ashkenazi Jews, immigrated from Kiev at the dawn of the 20th century.  Later, my eyes set on a possible degree in Soviet Studies, I took Russian. Then Woodstock and the counter-cultural, collective kensho swept me up -- and an advanced degree seemed irrelevant.
 
I'm grateful that others chose differently. 
 
Chris Hedges is one of those. Ten years my junior, Chris was only 13 years old when I stumbled forth with my B.A. to save the world in 1969.  His brilliant mind and courageous heart propelled him on a trajectory which took him through Harvard Divinity School before realizing his gift was writing, his ministry, journalism. 
 
Chris Hedges on the Streets --  CC Photo by Steve Rhodes
As a war correspondent for the New York Times, Hedges was literally in the trenches during the tragic siege of Sarajevo, winning the Pulitzer Prize for his efforts to expose the reality of war.  He then went on to serve as Middle East Bureau Chief for the Times before resigning when the top dogs there reprimanded him for coming out against the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.  Since then, as well as teaching at a New Jersey Prison, writing several books and numerous articles, he's been on the streets with activists across the nation for years. 
 
I trust this guy. 
 
Yesterday, my heart ached as I heard what was going on in Ukraine.  I turned to Chris Hedges to get his take on the situation. 
 
Here it is:
 

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My Humble Take on the Real Deal

I believe that the movement for peace, economic democracy and social justice is a Spiritual Quest. No mean feat, what is called for is a True Revolution of the Heart and Mind--and it starts with each of us.

This revolution has to be Peaceful. The Hippies (and Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King, et al) had it right. It really is all about Peace and Love. Besides being a total drag, violence just doesn't work. It keeps our wheels spinning in fear, anger and pain. Who needs that?

Besides some hard work, I think the Revolution also calls for dancing, plenty of laughter, and some sitting around just doing nothing. (Some folks call it meditation.)


As Stephen Gaskin, proclaimed years ago:

"We're out to raise Hell--in the Bodhisattvic* sense."

Doesn't that sound like some serious fun?

(*The Bodhisattva Vow is a set of commitments made in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. It basically says I vow to get my act together and figure it out well enough to really help out--and I ain't gonna stop until everybody is covered.

I've found that doesn't necessarily have to happen in that order. It's best to try to help out even before you have it all together! Like right now.)

-----Brother Lefty Smith, Founding S.O.B*