World War I Was Pointless

I just finished Paul Fussell's "The Great War and Modern Memory". The book was a review of the war though the eyes of British soldiers who survived, and some who didn't, and who left written material describing their ordeal. Eight and a half million soldiers died in that war. They died in elaborate trenches filled with, at one time or another, water, gas, dead soldiers, rats and other disgusting remnants of the carnage. The tactics of the generals was primitive and unimaginative, resulting in solders being mowed down in the 10s and 100s of thousands sometimes in just a few hours. All this horror happened with little understanding and much fantasy from the home front.

Mr. Fussel pointed out that the soldier's basic instinct was to survive so to return home to resume their life as father, brother, carpenter, teachers, and more. The conscripts were summoned to the war with little training and no knowledge of what faced them. The odds of survival was slim so a whole generation was wiped out as they tried to cross No Man's Land, that patch of territory between the trenches of the two opposing forces at war.

The Great War, as well as all wars according to Fussell, is ironic, ironic in that wars are always much more horrific than ever dreamed at the start. WWI was started with the thought that it would be over quickly and victory would be glorious, but as it turned out it went on, and on, and on. The death was staggering and the killing was technologically brutal, ripping bodies apart and leaving mutilated bodies to rot in the mud on which rats engorged themselves. All the while, the literature at home painted the picture of victory, glory and valor. Fussell at one point says that Wilfred Owen lived out in WWI "the old lie" (that it is sweet and proper to die for one's country).

War changes everything. No one can really understand what war does to the innocent until one has to step over dead bodies with care so as not to trample once "silly conscripts that are now cold marble". This was an excellent education for me. It brought to me, as close as I ever want to come, the devastation of war and what it does to human beings on both sides of No Man's Land. War's affects the short lives of the boys being sent to their death with a swift end to their short lives as well as to following generations who have to live with the consequences the giant loss to humanity. I'm changed. I now have another dimension to consider when I contemplate war as good or as evil.

Just Finished “All Quiet on the Western Front”.

I am sure many millions before me have said it, but I will add once more, "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque is a great book. He led me through the horrors of war via a masterful piece of art. I kept saying to myself as I read each page how lucky I was that I did not have to experience it firsthand even though I was in the Air Force during the Viet Nam war. I lost friends there, but I was fortunate to come up with state side duty. I have always considered myself somewhat of a pacifist, but I have not been very vocal about my beliefs. When George Bush was taking us into the Iraq war, I kept saying "Maybe this guy knows something that we don't." In other words, in the face of my reservations I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had the CIA, and I did not. As it turns out, he did not have them either. I think now after reading this work of art, I am apt to be more decisive and vocal about my views on war. I don't think I will be against all wars, but I expect to be more opinionated and active about expressing my thoughts. We need to be extremely cautious about entering into war. But when is war necessary? It needs to be the VERY last resort. We can influence leaders and peoples of other states by many other means than just military might. We have economic power that has not been fully explored. I believe we could cripple Iran to the point that they would shelve their nuclear plans in favor of economic and political survival. We would need the cooperation of other counties but we could achieve our objective there without using bombs Every bomb that drops has the risk of hitting a child, mother, father, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, grandfather, or grandmother. After reading "All Quiet", I believe we should go to much greater lengths than we have in the past to avoid the horrors of war.

Dallas News Summer Book Club

The first book of the Dallas News Summer Book club is Eric Marie Remarque's novel "All Quiet on the Western Front". The author takes a deep dive in the personal tragedy of war as Paul Baumer describes the horrible death of his friend Kemmerich, who just had his leg amputated, in a crowded hospital reeking of gangrene. Baumer vividly describes the final moments of Kemmerich's life. "But he only weeps, his head turned aside. He does not speak of his mother or his brothers and sisters. He says nothing; all that lies behind him; he is entirely alone now with his little life of nineteen years, and cries because it leaves him." The author then follows that scene with Baumer, who just sat at his friends bed as he slowly died, showing signs of hope as he leaves the hospital. "Thoughts of girls, of flowery meadows, of white clouds suddenly come into my head." It struck me odd that he could enjoy life amidst devastating war. I can't wait for chapter three.

 

Well I’m No Longer Retired!

I'm so busy; I might as well get paid while I'm at it. I accepted a job offer at a nearby electronics company. I do have a need to improve, so besides running 35 miles a week, I have been refreshing my math skills, tutoring high school kids, working out at the Y, and spending quality time with my grandchildren. My days are filled and time is speeding by. I figure that I might as well get paid for my activities. Since I was offered a job for which I have a lot of experience and some skills, I accepted and will start on the 18^th. What will change? Working out at the Y will be spotty if at all; I will get to see the grandchildren on the weekends, I will run first thing in the mornings before work; and I plan to practice math in my spare time. I am looking forward to working again. It will be nice joining the business environment and having some money come in.

Retired – Maybe?

Well I got fired! Well, they called it “laid off”. Or was it downsized? In any event, the question I now ponder is “should I now consider sliding into retirement or should I try to do something productive”? I will not go on and on about the pros and cons of each, but I will say I am really considering a change in my life. I’m 60 and maybe, just maybe, I will have another 20 years left if I’m lucky. I want them to be fun! I want to enjoy the next phase and that may or may not include working an 8 hour day. I’m going through the process of getting my resume updated, printing business cards, and producing a brochure for consulting. I’m really not sure anyone would want to hire me as a consultant but I do think I could save the right company money. Anyway, we will see. I’m seeing a lot more of my grandchildren and spending quality time with my wife. I’m in no hurry. I’ll keep you informed.