black hawk down
shakespeare's Henry V:
Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart. Give him money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in that man's company. Whoever lives past today and come home safely will rouse himself every year on this day, show his neighbour his scars, and tell embellished stories of all their great feats of battle. These stories he will teach his son and from this day until the end of the world, we shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for whoever has shed his blood with me shall be my brother. And those men afraid to go will think themselves lesser men as they hear of how we fought and die together.
i believe it is more than sadistic nature that i love reading about battle stories. there is something about war that absolutely strips men down to their basic instincts and raw emotions that makes reading them so compelling. the most ugly and the most admirable of behaviour shine. and somehow, reading about the cowardly nature of certain men doesnt make me condemn them. instead, i think of how myself will possibly react exactly in that manner if i was in the same situation. i was profoundly touched by the book. it was almost as if i was there witnessing the scenes myself. war is indeed a dreadful thing but we're not the people engaged in it so we're in no position to comment whether it's right or wrong. very often, it transcends the boundaries of right and wrong. ambiguities. years after the incidents occur, we still continue searching for answers of what should have been done. and they are seldom found.
jacq | 9:36:00 PM
...............
...............