We Have To Find Another Way
As I type the words to this story the news headlines read, “Another Bloody Month in Afghanistan for U.S. Troops”. Just a couple of months ago the U.S. presence in Afghanistan surpassed the amount of time we were in Vietnam. That is both a distressing and depressing thought. War fills the pages of history more than any other single topic. Mankind hates war or so we say. Several wars have been fought to “end all wars”. Miss America contestants continue to answer, “What is your biggest hope for the future?” with “World peace”.
Yet throughout all recorded history one thing is undeniable. War is the final authority to which humanity appeals in order to settle disputes. In his second inaugural address Abraham Lincoln said, “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.” He spoke of course of the Civil War in which more Americans died than in all the other American wars combined up and including most of the Vietnam War.
General James Longstreet, commander of Lee’s 1st Corps, when asked his attitude toward the terms of reconstruction replied:
It is fair to assume that the strongest laws are those established by the sword. The ideas that divided political parties before the war – upon the rights of the States – were thoroughly discussed by our wisest statesmen, and eventually appealed to the arbitrament of the sword. The decision was in favor of the North, so that her construction becomes the law, and should be so accepted.
Eighty years later General MacArthur standing on the deck of the USS Missouri directing the proceedings of the surrender of Japan used similar language. “The issues involving divergent ideals and ideologies have been determined on the battlefields of the world. And hence are not for our discussion or debate.”
War is often glorified by the victors. Most all countries take great pride in their military and what is a parade with out a military unit arrayed in their finest dress uniforms marching in perfect order. This is not to say we should not honor and praise and be grateful for those who serve in our military. We definitely owe them our deepest gratitude from the highest general to the lowest private for their sacrifice on the altar of freedom is greater than any other. This is just to say war is not glorious.
In recent years a number of great movies have been made depicting war in much more reality. “Gettysburg” is incredibly historical. “Saving Private Ryan” has become a classic. “Enemy at the Gate” and “We Were Soldiers” are must sees. And if I had my way studying Ken Burns’ documentary, “The War”, would be a high school graduation requirement.
But the ones who know war best are the generals who wage them. The United States has established herself as the mightiest nation ever on the face of the earth so let’s examine what three of our greatest generals have said about war and mankind.
Most everyone is familiar with the Civil War’s Union General William T. Sherman’s statement, “War is Hell”.
Commander of all Union armies General Ulysses S. Grant and later President of the United States wrote in his “Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant”, “But this war was a fearful lesson, and should teach us the necessity of avoiding wars in the future.” This was 32 years before the U.S. entered World War I, “The war to end all wars.” And you know the rest of the story. It didn’t.
General Douglas MacArthur distinguished for graduating 1st in his class at West Point, commanding the highly decorated “Rainbow Division” in World War I, commanding all Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II and all United Nations Forces in Korea is the most out spoken and certainly has earned the right to be heard.
To the reunion of the “Rainbow Division” July 14th, 1935:
The springs of human conflict cannot be eradicated through institutions but only through the reform of the individual human being...
In the last 3,400 years only 268-less than 1 in 13-have been free from wars. No wonder that Plato, the wisest of all men, once exclaimed, "Only the dead have seen the end of war!" Every reasonable man knows that war is cruel and destructive. Yet, our civilization is such that a very little of the fever of war is sufficient to melt its veneer of kindliness. We all dream of the day when human conduct will be governed by the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount. But as yet it is only a dream.
To the world after the surrender of Japan September 2, 1945 (less than a month after the use of the first atomic bomb):
A new era is upon us. Even the lesson of victory itself brings with it profound concern, both for our future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of the war potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a point which revises the traditional concepts of war.
Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start workable methods were found in so far as individual citizens were concerned, but the mechanics of an instrumentality of larger international scope have never been successful. Military alliances, balances of power, Leagues of Nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be 'by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all the material and cultural developments of the past 2000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.
To Congress April 19th, 1951:
I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.
Wow, how much clearer can the message be?
For nearly 150 years some of our best generals have been telling us WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY of solving international disputes. Many people I am sure will say, “Well dah, who doesn’t know that.” My reply is simply, “Well dah, why haven’t we done something about it?”
These men were not known for their theology. They were not known for their evangelical fervor. They were not trying to promote any particular world religion. These men were the best of the best that have ever studied, practiced, executed and mastered the art of war. And yet their conclusions were the same. War is not the answer to solving human conflict. Human conflict comes from the human spirit. It is a matter of the heart and can not be resolved by physical means.
My generation’s war was Vietnam. I remember well all the “Peace Marches”, the “Peace Sign”, the “Peace Symbol”, the “Anti War Demonstrations” and the “Peace Slogan” – “Give Peace a Chance”. From all the energy, the emotions, the civil disobedience, the hatred, the political upheaval, media attention, social restructuring and general unrest of the population I know of only one movement that actually spoke to the problem of changing the human heart. A small group of “Hippies” departed from the large main body whose motto was “Peace Love Dope” and sincerely sought to follow the “Prince of Peace”. They became known as the “Jesus People”. Today the movement has matured and are known simply as “The Vineyard”. They still seek to end war by changing the human heart one person at a time as does all of Christianity.
Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense through most of the Vietnam War, was considered by most to have a brilliant mind. He was a political liberal and seen by many as an outstanding humanist. In the 2004 documentary “The Fog of War” he said, “I’m not so naïve or simplistic to believe we can eliminate war. We’re not going to change human nature anytime soon.”
For the life of me, I can’t understand why our American society over the last 40 years has chosen to leap into a free fall toward more humanism for answers to solve the problem of human conflict. In 1935 MacArthur’s research showed only 268 years out of the last 3400 have been war free. Since 1935 it has been even worse. In the six years of World War II our best estimates are that 50 to 60 million people died. The terribleness of that is it was so terrible they can’t even account for 10 million people. Humanism’s track record for solving the human condition in my most generous pronouncement is pathetically poor. It is in fact a complete failure! Still in the name of “Pluralism”, humanism’s new child, American society has taken prayer out of the public schools, the Bible out of the court room and honoring or giving allegiance to God out of public speech and practice.
The results are predictably devastating. We have more disrespect for authority, more broken families, more unwed mothers, more STDs, more illegal drug use, more road rage, and more mass murders than ever before.
I vividly remember in the summer of 1956. I was seven years old and my brother was eight. My mother took us to the bus station in down town Columbus, Ohio put us on a bus to Cincinnati with a suit case and a hand written note for a taxi driver to take us a certain address so we could spend a week with our uncle. At the end of the week my uncle took us back to the Cincinnati bus station and sent us home. Our safety was never questioned by anyone. Today that is unthinkable! If a parent did that today Children Services would take the children out of the home for reckless endangerment. Yes, we have come a long way, but it hasn’t been up.
American society in the name of “Political Correctness” and “Intellectualism” has all but denied the spiritual aspect of mankind exists. But, undeniably the spirit is seen. In athletics it is called the will to win. In desperation it is called the will to survive. To the captive it is the will to escape. For the oppressed it is the will to be free. And to the maimed, injured and sick it is the will to live. You can’t taste it, touch it, smell it, see it or hear it but it is there. Undeniable, it is there!
In a management training article which recently came across my desk entitled “The Psychology of Time Management” by Brian Tracy. Mr. Tracy states, “If you want to change what is going on in the world around you – your relationships, results , and rewards – you have to change what is going on in the world inside you. Fortunately, this is the only part of your life over which you have complete control.”
My question is simply this. Are you at peace inside? There can not be peace in the world until there is peace in your heart. You can’t desire peace in someone else until there is peace in you. Don’t wait until you have to send your brother, sister, son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter off to war. The only way known in all human history to work, to truly change the human heart and solve the human condition is the Creator’s own plan. “…God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”( John 3:17).
The Apostle Paul wrote, “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known to all people the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col. 1: 26, 27).
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