Aiming for Peace

That's it, you can do it. Just a little more now, pull a bit harder... BAM!

the green figure slams forcefully into the ground as the bullet rips through

the cold green steel plate... BAM!

another smashes into a paper figure that looks suspiciously like a Russian soldier from the 70's, and is for some bizarre reason referred to as Ivan or Boris most of the time. One down and closer to peace. BAM! another one down and closer still. At least we produce bullets faster than we make enemies (for now we do)

”He can't even use the radio, but he's a damn fine shoot! just what I want from a medic, keep up the good work soldier!” A flash of colour, perhaps even true colours, but it doesn't last for more than a second as the major then goes on;

”We need to be there, for the people who are suffering, that's our purpose, but please remember they are your enemies”. A conflict of interests if ever there was one. They are worth as much as any of you, but do remember, they are all scumbags who can't be trusted.

Go on do it, sign it, you can do it, it's just a splash of ink... Why would you care? SCREECH The pen of a student signing a petition against an oil-giant drilling for oil in Nigeria.

We made a difference, yes we did, that's what we tell ourselves when we sent 1005 copies of a black and white printed letters in swollen words to a company board, but did that make them think twice about what they were doing? No, they were probably thankful, because now they didn't have to use their own oil to warm their office, and never mind the expenses on toilet paper.

But at least there was a will. Or was it someone else's will? Did you even stop to think about what you signed?

-Nah! It was too long, I was in a rush, but I'm sure it was for something good, at least it said amnesty at the top.

A drop of colour, maybe red, but your blood was blue, was it not?

Yes, now you did your part for the world, what would it do without you and your support? All those profound personal letters will sway the hearts of the oil-giants! And if not... We could always torch it! I mean... It's by no means we who give them that power, by turning on the lamp, cramming out full effect from the heater, or making a tropical paradise into a walk-in freezer with 12 air-conditioners at the same time? Not to mention how utterly important it is to get everywhere! Sure we care, we just don't care enough to give up OUR comforts.

-I for one would never give up my comforts, a soul dark as tar, not from smoking though, at least not my own smoke.

But did we really want to help people, or did we want people we could help, things to care about? We thirsted for someone to say, oh my god, so righteous, so good. We longed to see the disabled kids every Thursday so that we would know that we were not one of them. As long as it was just playing in the park with them or feeding them it was ok, but if they needed to go to the toilet or threw a tantrum (or threw up for that matter) the old ladies taking care of them would come scurrying to comfort them, and we would pat our own backs and say;

- you did well, he didn't pee on himself (or you) before she came, you did well, you can't be expected to be able to calm him down, he's re... mentally handicapped for heavens sake!' and yes, you managed to look your best throughout the whole endeavor.

Sometimes I wonder what is best, having the will to change but being capable of nothing or having the strength to change, doing so but not really caring.

BAM!

"YOU'RE SHOOTING TOO SLOW!"

-Yes, how can we ever hope to preserve the peace if we can't kill them fast enough? and if shooting them creates the enemy, well then you better be fast on the trigger so that they don't grow faster than you shoot!

*reflection... is that really true? oh well, they told me to shoot didn't they? and that's what I like best. If this is helping I kinda like it, come out come out wherever you are!

-Have you thought this through?

- Yes!

-I mean Really thought this through?

-YES!

-So... what are you waiting for?

-oh, right...

BAM! one down, BAM! two... god, so many terrorists... and now they've taken to wearing skirts and carrying children too... but you won't fool me, I can see right through you! Oh, not that one... can't see through her... what to do? BAM! oh! now I can! I knew there was a way!

If they were civilians they would have told us, right?

At least you're not told to think in the military, you're actually told not to.

So who's to blame for the world of today with all its horrors? Who bears responsibility for the disastrous condition of the global society? Or is there actually something wrong at all?

When asked the vast majority of this world would like to see peace on earth, when asked they support equality, you would be deemed a mental case if you said anything else.

But can this world hold such things? Is it even possible? What would we care about, what would we work for if where it got us was the same place as we started? I think these problems are needed, both as a point of reference, so that we may know that we are better off than others, but also as a cause. We want to feel important and acknowledged. It's a human drive and it's what keeps us moving forward. It sure has been the reason for many struggles and horrible things, but without it we would be nothing. We need the problems of this world to feel alive and thus I believe that we are all part of these conflicts and that there is no final solution that will lead to an end of all inequality and injustice, it's just human.

by Joakim Pettersson

This entry was posted by Neil Keating, on Tuesday, 11 December 2007. You can leave your response.