After the speech was over, I couldn't help but feel a wide range of conflicted emotions. As a parent and a
proponent of democratic ideals, I am both angered and heartbroken to hear that
potentially thousands of citizens are being indiscriminately attacked with
poisonous gas, the victims of which include hundreds of innocent children. Yet, because
of the circumstances surrounding the decade long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
I'm skeptical of whether or not we truly know who is behind these chemical
attacks. Those wars have left our nation just plain exhausted of seeing our troops on the soil of
other countries, meddling in their affairs, sacrificing their lives, yet getting
nothing but anti- American sentiment in return.
Throughout all of this, despite how
much I try to understand the underlying causes of the conundrum wrapped in a
quandary that is the Syrian Civil War, I'm not ashamed to say that it's a bit
confusing. There are the Alawites, Mennonites who practice different religions
and they're not very fond of each other? Or something. I was able to find the following Washington Post article
that provided a rather humorous, yet very informative breakdown of the entire
conflict. It's helpful, but I don't think there are enough books in existence that could completely explain thousands of years of racial, cultural and
religious differences.
The strongest emotion by far I am
experiencing right now is fear. Fear of the unknown repercussions of either US
intervention or sitting back and leaving Syria to their own devices. Fear that
on the heels of the12th anniversary of the greatest terrorist attacks in our
country, that history may be repeating itself if we end up fighting yet another
battle in the Middle East, while carrying within us a sense of uncertainty on whether or not we
should really be there.
Immediately
after our president finished his address, I shut of the TV and went into both of my sons'
bedrooms. I tucked them in and kissed both on the forehead. As they both
lay sleeping, I said a small prayer asking God that if it was his will, that
they grow up in a world where they can be shielded from the horrors of war. With these emotions weighing heavy on my heart, I almost chuckled at the coincidence of unwittingly recreating a scene from one of my favorite Norman Rockwell paintings. I bowed my head and once again prayed that in this case, art does not imitate life.
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| Norman Rockwell's "Freedom From Fear"(Source) |
I did not hear the speech, but like you, I hope our younger generation never has to deal with the horrors of war.
ReplyDeleteWe are in a time that much prayer is needed. War is all around us and we can not shield our kids forever. It is a sad time. I pray for my kids/adults as well, especially now that my youngest is in the USAF. I am very proud of him, worried and pray for his safety and the rest of our military all the time.
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly a time in our nation when much prayer is needed. I have friends who are in the military and I hope they do not have to become involved in another conflict.
ReplyDeleteI think your sentiments are echoed by many.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a really scary time. What's equally frightening to me is the fact that so many of my fellow Americans seem to be so completely uninformed about this conflict. I have brought it up with countless people and gotten the response of, "Oh, I never watch the news. What's wrong in Syria?" I understand that people are busy and don't have the time to watch the news each evening, but the ignorance is so frustrating. Turn the radio on when you're going to work, or read the newspaper on your lunch break! :/
ReplyDeletePerfect timing! Love this post, it certainly expresses what our country is going tbru at the moment.
ReplyDeletePrayers are needed lots these days! The whole war thing scares me! I really hope when my son is grown up, things have calmed down and he does not have to deal with it the way we do right now!
ReplyDeleteI can't keep up with all the war stuff going around. I didn't listen to his speech, maybe I was so hopeless with the stuff he was going to say. Today on 9/11, peace is needed! I hope coming generation won't see this cruel stuff, just peace! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. It is one thing to think of war when you are thinking soley from a political stand point. Then you take a stand back and see those that will be affected by it...our children. The ones we have to shield and protect. You can easily find your viewpoints changing and priorities rearranging.
ReplyDeleteI just hope we won't have to go another war.
ReplyDeleteVery nice reading here .
I hate war stuff . May peace may lay around us forever!
ReplyDeleteNoor @ Noor's Place
Being military I'm dreading when this day comes. Not only will I be going but anything can happen while we're there. Saying a prayer for all my fellow soldiers.
ReplyDeleteNicely written Kyle. It is a very confusing time and I think a lot of our fear lies with trust issues. We don't know who we can trust anymore. The news outlets sensationalize everything, the gov't seems to hold back info, and you never really know what is going on in other parts of the world unless you are there or know someone there. These are trying times, and I hope they somehow start to calm down, because I am afraid our leaders and leaders of other countries act too quickly and then think about the actions afterwards. Where will that leave all of us?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. I am an Army Wife and hearing things about another war scares the Hell out of me.. Honestly, my husband and I have lost many friends and to think that another war is possibly around the corner no one knows what is coming next..
ReplyDeleteNow following as well and look forward to reading more.
Samantha
http://www.crazylife-chaoticwife.com/
Very well put! I agree with you 100% .... this is a very tough issue for every American to ponder and come to any confident opinion about, except that the polls seem to suggest that the fast majority of us are, indeed, against us getting further involved and entangled over there. SO many factors that make it a complex issue, yet, insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. Our foreign policies need some evaluating and tweaking.
ReplyDeleteI love how you ended this though with the focus on prayer. If we are to come close to receiving what you asked in your prayer... our nation MUST return to its roots in trusting GOD and not ourselves. We have been so blessed materially that "we as a country" have come to think that we do not need God, and the evil in the world proves that we very MUCH need Him!
I love the Rockwell photo. My husband is set to deploy in less than a year and all of this with Syria is so scary. I don't want World War 3 and that is exactly the direction we are headed in. I pray that we know peace sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteI did not get a chance to hear the speech but I fear for the world my child will grow up in. I pray for peace and that somehow we can all come together.
ReplyDeleteI am confused as to why, after years of fighting Al-Qaeda, we would now side with them against Syria's leadership. Perhaps instead of meddling in everyone else's affairs, it would be good to straighten out things within our own borders first. Along with everyone else, I pray for our nation's leaders to guide us towards peace and prosperity for the sake of future generations.
ReplyDeleteI watched the speech. Everything is still so up in the air. I pray for peace and that this is resolved. Love the photo.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the speech, but I've been reading and praying. that is the best pic to depict what I feel, as well. This is a scary world!
ReplyDeleteI prefer to meditate and imagine a peaceful world - prayers, visualisation and meditation can go a long way!
ReplyDeleteYou said it very well. The Norman Rockwell at the end really says it all. I hope for a world of peace for our children but I am afraid that will not be the case.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post for a day of remembering.. I hope my kids don't ever had to deal with war :(
ReplyDeleteI didn't have the pleasure of hearing the speech but I totally agree with you that we need to create as much of a gap from the horrors of war for future generations as possible.
ReplyDeleteIt really scares me to think about how our children will grow up with the violence and wars around us. I pray to God that it gets better.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad time. I wish US will just take care of their own matters first and unite with other countries who are willing to help Syria and not about war. Sigh... All we do really need is to ask and pray to God that He will not abandon us, our country and our family.
ReplyDeletei didn't hear the speech but i agree that we need to look at everything and think through critically before acting
ReplyDeleteI didn't see it. I was playing Playstation all night long. But then again I don't watch the news really. I pick and choose what I wanna read online. The news is WAY too depressing...
ReplyDeleteIt is sad! I hope and I pray that, there's an immediate way of stopping this war.
ReplyDeleteI hope my kids never see some of the things we have seen. I am sure that my parents wished the same thing for me!
ReplyDeleteWell said Kyle. I wish that my kids weren't growing up during this time. I don't know what the answer is right now, but I don't understand why we would even consider backing Al-Qaeda, after all we have been through. I know there are a lot of issues here though. Like everyone else, I am watching to see what our leadership does. We have family in the military and we are praying for the best possible outcome for our country and the world.
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