Honor
In man’s history, there have been clashes. Wars. Battles that spilled onto blood-soaked lands. Sometimes the boats sailed the seas to foreign shores. Sometimes retaliation for an action crosses the red line of tolerance.
Troy’s waterways were fought over the pretext of Helen of Sparta. Thermopylae fought the Persian empire to force them into submission as vassal states. The Battle of Muye was fought due to one King’s fear of another’s popularity and rising power. the Battle of Tours, the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Waterloo, Battle of Gettysburg, the spark(s) that led to World War 1, the invasion of Normandy contributing to the end of World War 2, the Second Congo War, the Syrian Civil War...
Darfur Conflict...
Iraq War...
Afghanistan War...
The War Against Boko Haram...
Yemeni Civil War...
*****
And now...
Ukraine.
Mankind has always been capable of great beauty of men, the graceful strength of women, and the intellect of humans. No matter what the reason....
religion
power
money
revenge
land
love
lust
It doesn’t matter.
As one who has bled on foreign battlefields. Sweated during the harshest cold and hungry beyond belief. Cried at the atrocities, and the innocent caught in between.
Whose dialogue spoken with the average citizen in too many countries to list - I’ve learned one great truth.
We are human beings.
We love hard, fuck one another in bedrooms even harder, and we care for our families - even the dysfunctional ones.
When bullets whiz by, bombs explode erratically, and death is your dance partner - all that matters is the right to LIVE.
LIFE.
Haven’t we burned enough bones? Trodden on freedoms taken for granted? Let politicians play their games as kings and queens of old once did, but let us common people LIVE LIFE.
In solidarity with Ukraine - I wish I was there to lift a rifle again. This old, broken veteran would come from retirement and defend those who cannot. The children. The elders. No matter what, evil wins when good does nothing. Demons run when good goes to war. Night will fall, and death will lie.
My heart goes for those conscripted, blinded to the truth, and those ignorant of the reality by the curtains of those appointed to lead. Russian people are not their leader, except for those who embolden, accessory to the fact, and grin as the world burns.
Young men of the world - take heart. Do what is noble, honorable, and just.
Young women of the globe - take strength. Do what is courageous, love hard, and follow your intuition for what is right.
Elders - we stand in the doors of hell to give them a chance for one more breath. One more kiss. One more bullet in the chamber.
We will have peace, even if we have to fight for it.
Regret nothing.
Open your homes to those who cannot speak your language. Give them food. A warm bed. Toys for the children. A safe space, even if for one night from the war storms.
The fears of what is next. The uncertainty of whether a loved one died for you, the children, your home - it is the red thread spooling through all humanity.
Carry this to all my fellow humans who may or may not read this -
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOUR FIGHT IS MY FIGHT.
*Fist raised to the sky in solidarity*
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60549130
