War Is Still Awful

One year ago today I launched this web log by stating this obvious truth in a plaintive plea to those who would justify war, to not lose sight of its monstrousness in defending those rare cases in which it might be called for. Never have I made any naive claims that "Saddam was not so bad", or that "Islamic fundamentalist terrorists will just leave us alone if only we would stop being bullies." But aside from the plain evidence that this administration's actual reasons for going to war were different from those which they claimed beforehand, or recast afterward, we must not take our eyes off the enormous cost of any war in lives lost, dreams destroyed, and psyches irreparably damaged.

Stephen Daugherty, whose writing at WatchBlog inspired me to begin this site, wrote in a recent piece:

War is a beast to be kept on a tight leash.

There are those who think they can unleash it, and not have it turn on them. Wrong. Wars are ravenous beasts that rarely stay under control. The only good reason to let loose such a monster is to turn it on another like it, to let it tear that brother of his to shreds. Those who fail to exhaust the monster and force its rest at the end will find themselves staring down the muzzle into the red eyes of the demon they've freed.

That is but a small excerpt from a series of seven articles Daugherty wrote, entitled "Tumblers in the Lock of Time" in which he lays out his perspective on the current state of affairs in our world. As the inspiration for my deciding to share my voice in this medium, I'm pleased to see Stephen continuing to share his clear-headed thinking. Here are quick links to those recent articles:

 Business
 Infrastructure
 Science & Technology
 Evolution
 War
 Culture
 Politics

Having 'labeled' myself as a pacifist at the outset, I also introduced one year ago my persistent theme of being wary of labels, and how they reduce complexity into one-dimensionality. I hope that any consistent reader of Delivering Hope can testify that contrarian views held in good faith are treated fairly here, and mockery is largely absent, reserved only for those offerings which are intended to deceive or insult. Do come back, there is much left to explore.