War, Fear, And Everything Else Nobody Cares About
by Clavin
Lately I've been noticing my apathy about the world and
what's been going on. When I'm flipping through the TV channels and see
the news, I immediately switch the channel. If there's nothing else on I put in a movie. On the rare occasions when I look at a newspaper, I
look at the headlines only. When I hear a discussion about the wars
that are going on, I find a reason to not pay attention. When I
started realizing how little I care about these world events that, if
not now, will eventually effect everyone in the United States, if
not the world, I realized that maybe it's not apathy that gets me to
change the channel. It's fear. I'm scared to death of what's going
to come of all this.
Earlier this week, two people I know personally were shipped
off to Colorado for training before getting shipped to the middle
east. Their families were crying, scared shitless that they're going to get shot by some rag-head...just doing their duty. But, when talking
to friends, who are better friends to these solders than I am, I
realized that maybe it hit me harder that them. Here they are just
going along with their lives, making jokes, taking all this very lightly. And here I am going through a jungle of thoughts and fears in my head. Not necesarily because I was afraid that something might happen to these people, but because I came to the realization that...people I
know are going to war. The last war/conflict anyone I know has been
in was Vietnam. That was over thirty years ago. I wasn't even alive
yet. But now, it seems as though we could be going through the same
times soon. Army generals dressed in their class A's showing up at
doorsteps carying a flag. Spouses and parents ont wanting to answer
the door because they already know what he's there for. Soldiers
coming back from a place where they witnessed death, rape, and all
kinds of things I don't even want to think about, being cast out of
society by the people who sat on their fat asses eating cheeseburgers
and witnessing as much of the war as they could on the evening news.
But then I look at the big picture. I'm pretty sure world
war III is strolling right around the corner, and, the way I see it,
one of four things could happen.
The first: I'm overeacting and we will be out of this in a year or so. There is a very good possibility of this happening. Last time we went to war with Iraq, it was done and
over with before we even really knew what was hapening.
The second: The world goes to war and we end up in a great
depression. This is very likely. After WWI a depression took over
the country.People were starving, living off rations allowed to them by thegovernment. I know that history helps us to not make the same
mistakes over again. But that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
The third:The world goes to war and blows itself up. With all the nuclear power in the world today, you can bet your ass that nukes are going to be flying. We'll drop a nuke, then they'll drop a nuke, then someone
else will drop a nuke... Before you know it everyone is going to be
nuking everyone else. With all that bombing, there's no doubt in my
mind that the world has the capability to wipe out the human race and
probably blow up the planet along with it. We'll be nothing but
meteors falling on to mars or Jupiter or something.
The fourth: the world goes to nuclear war, only a few survivors are left, and we have to
start all over. With technology comes reactions to technology. The more powerfull bombs get, the more stable bomb shelters get...also more
expensive. Nulear bomb shelters will be everywhere. But only rich people will be able to afford them. They're not going to try to save everyone they can by building giant bomb shelters in every city. No one could afford that. They may build special shelters to save scientists and political leaders, but that's about it. So they go in to their bomb shelters, come out when the war is over and the radiation is gone, and all that's left is the people and the land. Just like in the begining.
Mankind would have to start over from scratch.
Either way you look at it, it's scary as hell. People may
say I'm overeacting. Maybe I am...or maybe they're undereacting.
Who the hell knows? All I know is what is floating around in my head. All this has been a huge eye opener for me. This may look like a
political or apocalyptical article, but, I guess what I'm really trying to say is...the world could go to war tomorrow. We could get bombed
tomorrow. We could die...tomorrow. We could be erased without ever doing all the things we wanted to do...without saying the things we wanted to say to the people we wanted to say them to, but were to afraid to...without reaching our dreams...without ever knowing what we could have been. And THAT is my biggest fear. Life is too short to sit around saying, "I'm going to be a rock star some day", or "I wonder what what'll happen if (fill in the blank)". That's all bullshit. Be a rock star NOW. KNOW what would happen...don't wonder. So, the message I'm trying to send out is this: Live life to the extremes and never wonder what you
could be...know.
