War: was is it good for? Absolutely nothing...say it again

September 11th, 2009

Before I continue with my thoughts for the day, I have not written for the past few days not out of lack of interest or time, but rather being violently ill and confined to bed as a result of what we've come to term "a case of the bad tacos". I managed to miss majority of the first week of school and being sick away from home is a rough fate, but I'll reflect on that some other time.

Last night, Joaquin, Deborah and I had a chance to sit at dinner and speak about the civil war that occurred over a decade ago here in El Salvador. His own stories of seeing his cousins dead in the street, or being held at gunpoint by a group of men hoping to steal from him are harrowing and make it difficult to believe anyone here could remain emotionally unscathed. Joaquin then suggested we watch a film called "Voces Inocentes" or "innocent voices" (just in case you couldn't get that one) which is based on the true story of a boy coming of age during the civil war in the late 1980's. While I knew the politics of the civil war that waged here for over 12 years, I think I failed to realize the emotional toll it took on the families and children of El Salvador. The movie itself is exceptionally well done, however it was unsettling watching this story, knowing that this little boy was essentially my age and spent his childhood hiding from bullets and fearing the government would seize him and force him into combat. In perhaps one of the most chilling scenes, the boys in the village are tipped off by a member of the guerrilla resistance that the military will be coming the next day to seize all young men for the army. That morning all the boys climb onto their cardboard roofs, lying flat so as to remain unseen. The soldiers tear through the village and cannot find a single boy to take. The fear, the intensity and the reality that these families and their children lived with was simply something that cannot ever be erased from a person's or country's history.
On this the 8th anniversary of September 11th, I was reflecting about the cost of war on our personal lives. I read an article in Newsweek recently called "the 9/11 generation comes of Age" which followed many of the young adults (mine and Deborah's age) who have grown into adults post 9/11. The article focused on studies that show that our generation is statistically more interested in pursuing careers and projects related to service for others (like peace corps, teaching, doctors etc.)
I very clearly remember that morning 8 years ago today and the fear that came over all of us. I remember the shock and disbelief and sadness of watching my city crumble. And that was one morning. All over the world are stories of 9/11's that last for months or years. These children lived watching their city burn for 12 years and in places like Iraq, Pakistan or Serbia violence is part of daily life and therefore so is fear.
In the movie last night, there is a priest (who bore an uncanny resemblance to Fr. McShane for my Fordham friends) who is trying to keep his congregation calm amidst the chaos erupting in the streets outside his church. He gives a prolific statement in his homily featured in the movie that I think bears repeating today. He states:
"Skeptics will say if there is a God, why does he make war? But God has given us free will as men and also given us the gift of grace. Grace is the small piece of the divine that lies within each and every person in this world. The reason we have war is that each of us fail to see the Grace of God in others anymore".

just something to think about...