Mastodawn

"If we would show the reality of war on live television: soldiers bleeding out for six hours alone in the roadside in the desert crying for their mama, no one would go to war" - Chris Hedges (quoted from memory)

Due to the current world situation I'm reading War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges and let me say from the start: the title is meant in the worst way possible.

It's the most brutal book I've ever read and I have to stop half-ways and get it out of my head. So no cheery informative emojis for this post. The book is a full portray of war as it is - in all its soul-twisting messiness. It's based on Hedges' 20 years of front line war reporting. No detail, no matter how unspeakable, inconvenient or self-compromising, is spared and therein lies its unique integrity.

Chris Hedges offers two explanations how war can happen in spite of the it's atrocious ground truth: the Myth of War and the Narcotic of War

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Lukas Kluge Mar 13

The Myth of War describes the selective and false story that is told about what goes on in war in mainstream media and from officials. I think it's safe to say that we have seen this a lot lately. The myth on one hand makes participation in the war acceptable or even meaningful (there it is) and on the other hand it makes self-criticism or empathy for the "enemies" taboo. This myth sweeps up all of society, even women cheering their husbands on as they go into war. We are not at this point in Denmark yet, but let's not rest on our laurels.

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Lukas Kluge Mar 13

The Narcotic of War explains how even the people that have first hand experience with war - that have seen and felt the horrible truth behind the myth of war - get hooked anyway. How experiencing raw force, extreme violence and power over life and death is also attractive. Call it death drive, fight or flight instinct or: a narcotic. People subjected to war get their perception warped where they can often not remember what happened afterwards. Something that meant great trouble for Chris Hedges as a war reporter

What I take from it so far: Even though fear and the instinct for identity- and physical self-preservation entices us to meet the violence in war with greater violence, we must have other ways to respond. Next up on the reading list: War Resistors International - Nonviolent Organizing Handbook

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