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| Vokzalna Street of Bucha (Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine) where a Russian military column was destroyed on 27 February 2022. (Source) |
I spent a good part of the time I should have been writing original material looking into the current Russo-Ukrainian War and that is a lot of history. You have to go all the way back to Kievan Rus (and perhaps even further back) and then come forward to the Euromaidan protests to have even an inkling of what's going on over there these days.
All that being said (research is continuing), all I can say for certain is that Ukrainians and Russians will continue to die in horrible ways while politicians sit down to fancy dinners and seek money for whatever causes they're promoting.
The French have a saying, “Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose“¹ – The more things change, the more they stay the same. War, greed, destruction, it won't end any time soon.
The following was Part IV (yesterday was Part III) of a four part series I did back in 2022. As the French say ...
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| Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (Source) |
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Revelation 6:1-8 (KJV)
So will war be the end of us as a species?
As the population of the world increases, as competition for resources increases, somewhere, someone, is going to pull the trigger which could set off Armageddon. I don't know if that's a maybe or a certainty. But it lies well within the realm of possibility.
The Scriptures foretell of the end of this existence ...
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:35-37 (KJV)
What follows is beyond our ken.
It has been said that "violence never solved anything," of course that's nonsense. Violence certainly ended the threat from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Perhaps it's wise to understand that aggressive warfare is not an answer. That's why it's been outlawed. Regardless of what we think of the situation in Ukraine, they were attacked.
Were the Russians provoked? They seem to think so, well, at least Putin and his cronies think so. But one could make the argument that Japan was provoked into attacking Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. You would be correct, we were trying to get Japan to back off in China, where they were indeed waging a war of conquest. So yes, we provoked them, but that did not justify their attack on the United States.
Wars of conquest have caused more grief and horror than anything else in our history, it should be opposed, vigorously, perhaps even through the force of arms. But when?
That is indeed the question.
I weep for the fallen ...
Those in the past, and those to come.
No Man’s Land
written by Eric Bogle
performed by the Dropkick Murphys
Oh how do you do, young Willie McBrideDo you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?And rest for a while in the warm summer sunI've been walking all day, and I'm nearly doneAnd I see by your gravestone you were only nineteenWhen you joined the great fallen in 1916Well I hope you died quick, and I hope you died cleanOr Willie McBride, was is it slow and obscene?Did they beat the drums slowly?Did they play the fife lowly?Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?Did the band play the Last Post and chorus?Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behindIn some loyal heart is your memory enshrined?And though you died back in 1916To that loyal heart you're forever nineteenOr are you a stranger without even a name?Forever enshrined behind some old glass paneIn an old photograph torn, tattered, and stainedAnd faded to yellow in a brown leather frameDid they beat the drums slowly?Did they play the fife lowly?Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?Did the band play the Last Post and chorus?Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?The sun shining down on these green fields of FranceThe warm wind blows gently and the red poppies danceThe trenches have vanished long under the plowNo gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing nowBut here in this graveyard that's still no man's landThe countless white crosses in mute witness standTo man's blind indifference to his fellow manAnd a whole generation were butchered and damnedDid they beat the drums slowly?Did they play the fife lowly?Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?Did the band play the Last Post and chorus?Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?And I can't help but wonder oh Willie McBrideDo all those who lie here know why they diedDid you really believe them when they told you the causeDid you really believe that this war would end warsWell the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shameThe killing and dying it was all done in vainOh Willie McBride it all happened againAnd again, and again, and again, and againDid they beat the drums slowly?Did they play the fife lowly?Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?Did the band play the Last Post and chorus?Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?
(Source)
¹ French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849.
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Well said. As I was reading through the comments on yesterday's offering I was struck by how civil we all are to each other here. Wildly divergent opinions and views, but having an actual discussion.
ReplyDeleteI freely admit that most of my opinions about what is going on in that region is from a generalized history, both short-term political, say, since the October Revolution, and a longer term societal overview, say, since the Conversion of the Rus in A.D. 988. And a lot of interaction with Russian refugees, many of whose families had fled not long after the October Revolution. An aside, there was an interesting class distinction between those who fled through Europe and those who fled through China, much of which could be seen in the recipes they handed down.
Everybody played nice yesterday, which I found gratifying. We have a good crowd here.
DeleteCivil discourse among divergent views. That's par for the course in a Western, high trust, society. I would have added another adjective, like White, but algorithms n' stuff. Figured it might fly under the radar this way. Thanks for a most appreciated Public square in our declining, DEI dominated, USA INC.
Delete👍
DeleteAnd the pebbles still don't get a vote, when the avalanche occurs. Sorry as an avid historian I try to see all sides of the event. Many events are occurring at the same time currently. Many can leave our own streets looking like the picture on top of this article.
ReplyDeleteSo I focus on what I can do, protect those that matter to me.
Ah, you have the right idea as to history. If you don't see all sides of an event, you can't possibly understand it. Well done!
DeleteSimilarities moving along in sight of each other.
ReplyDeleteCowboy A-"We're being followed."
Cowboy B-"I know. They've been there for centuries."
Indeed.
DeleteThe Pax Americana lasted for 77 years in Europe, not a bad run given European history.
ReplyDeleteVery true, not bad at all.
DeleteSarge, another good song along this vein is "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" performed by The Pogues.
ReplyDeleteThe first picture is jarring to me for two reasons. The first is simply the loss of life that it represents. The second is that...how is that rebuilt at all? How do you removed ruined machines? How do you rebuild the buildings and roads? Most importantly, how do you get people to come back there and restart lives?
I will admit that on the whole, it is disheartening simply because it seems like all the critical thinkers that should know better and could do something have left the room.
On the bright side, it was a very civil discussion.
That opening photo? Europeans have repaired far worse damage, that doesn't look so bad compared to pictures of Berlin and other German cities in 1945. Stalingrad (now Volgograd) was pretty much leveled, they rebuilt.
DeleteAnd in Asia? Many Japanese cities were completely destroyed, yet they rebounded.
That's the thing about we humans, we do stupid things, then we turn around and do something amazing. (Only to do the stupid things all over again.)
The song? Very much the same vein as No Man's Land, written by Eric Bogle, same fellow who wrote this one. Side note, my Great Grand Uncle was at Gallipoli and survived, only to die of wounds in the Middle East when the war was almost over. He is buried in Gaza.
It's a small world.
You are correct about the rebuilding Sarge. I suppose I am just questioning if the West has it within themselves to do it again. We are a receding civilization, not an expanding one.
DeleteSad, but true. I wonder myself.
DeleteYour blog is a daily read and, along with comments, both educates and stimulates thought. I don't often comment having little to add.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that history shows two groups. First, royalty however that is determined. Second, serfs as in anyone who isn't royalty. Those who are royalty feel free to use serfs anyway they please.
And that's what the current "elites" want to go back to.
DeleteI try and comment every time just so I can keep up with the comments!
DeleteFWIW I'll bet the royalty started with guy with the biggest stick and the smarts to use it.
Concur!
DeleteThose who think they're in charge may eventually learn. Did Eisenhower golf every day? Good plan, get those steps and some shoulder work in.
ReplyDeleteI have my doubts.
DeleteEisenhower played golf as President IIRC, not as SCAEFE; Chester Nimitz spent an hour a day on the pistol range when he was CINCPAC per Doctor's Orders. Both had huge responsibilities and discharged their duties well. Two good men, the likes of whom we are sorely lacking today; I think both would be horrified and disgusted to see our country today. The WWII generation bequeathed us peace and prosperity and we have allowed an "elite" to squander both; these "elites" have come very close to destroying our Republic, and may yet succeed.
DeleteBoat Guy
Spot on.
DeleteThings could be worse - there could be zombie poodles.
ReplyDeleteAnd no one wants that.
Delete"The trenches have vanished long under the plow"
ReplyDeleteNo, they haven't. Not all of them. The "Zone Rouge" has diminished but not disappeared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_rouge
Not to mention all of the unexploded ordnance in that zone!
DeleteIndeed. Some of which can yet put the lie to "no gas."
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