War or Peace

Who's bold enough to believe
In either love, or war?
Both just leave you busted, and broken down
Wanting more.

I hope I never, ever know what it really means to experience war. That would make me lucky, and rare on a human scale. I don't know how it really feels, but I dreamed it last night. I peered through the window with my children by my side, trying impossibly to hide behind the sill so as not to be seen. Outside, an army in street clothes stole through the neighborhood, house to house with the occasional sound of resistance ringing in the air, but ultimately submission. The fear that I felt was horrible, and my children looked to us for answers...and safety. In the dream, we were helpless against the intruders, and terrible things happened. I'm sad to say that upon waking, my first thought was disappointment at not owning a gun. As though just owning one would salve my fear; or would it only potentially force someone else to feel it for me?

Many families are experiencing that fear right now. Fear that, as a fat and happy American, I cannot begin to understand. And why do they endure this? I challenge you to find a violent situation that doesn't boil down to one person seeking power over another. The only reason violence ever occurs is because someone has been held down. There may be moments where the violence appears to be defensive and just; but somewhere in the past is a moment where, had the fair choice been made, the present moment could have been changed.

I'll never forget the terror of the dream I had last night, but as vivid as it was I cannot imagine the terror of reality. War is over, if you want it.