Musings

I am a child of war -- not strife, at least, not completely, but war nonetheless. I haven't fought on foreign soil. I wasn't born into a combat torn nation. I am an American citzen who's life has never been touched, at least directly, by international terrorism, bombs, or gunfire. I've never been trapped in a situation in which my life was directly in danger, so, how can I say that I am the product of strife?
You see, in today's world, war isn't black and white. War is no longer always about men and women gathering together in a fight to the death. That war is still a part of our lives, now perhaps more than ever. There's combat continuing in all parts of the world. There's gunfire and bombing in Iraq, in Israel, in Palestine, in Lebanon. Of course, there's also gunfire on American streets: random killings, methodical murders, acts of terrorism.
But, there's also more subtle forms of war. There's a constant battle against peer pressure -- both for children and adults. There are battles in courtrooms for and against the legalization of same sex marriage -- a battle for rights that seem to be guaranteed to every person in the country, but rights that continue to be denied. Men and women fight for their lives every day against addiction -- alcoholism, illegal drugs, and prescription drugs. Still more men, women, and children fight against terminal illnesses in a struggle to be that one person who beats the odds.
War is a part of our everyday lives. War isn't just a concept of the chess pieces moved in international relations, it's a piece of the fabric that weaves all of us together. Peace isn't about the absence of war; at this point in our evolution, I doubt we are even capable of such a concept. Peace is about people not fighting their small wars alone. Peace is people working together to cope, to live, to grow. Peace is creating the building blocks of unity to find a way to oblivate war tomorrow.