IN MEMORY OF OUR SOLDIERS, BUSH “MINDFUL” OF WAR ©

On this Memorial Day 2005, as on memorials days in the past, I feel such sorrow. I wish that we were memorializing peace and not war, the living and not those that have passed. I wish that we were as our current President often espouses, “mindful.” My regret is that we, as a nation, speak of harmony while creating conflict. We talk of negotiations and then often forego diplomatic measures. We fight wars to end all wars, and we do this repeatedly.

Today, in honor of the “holiday” my mind drifts. I contemplate the meaning of this homage. I believe that this day is intended for reflection and remembrance. It is a day to recall all of our fallen heroes, those that served in every war. It is a time to reflect upon “battles” and to consider the lives lost. On this occasion, we might ponder what we treasure. Our thoughts will undoubtedly turn to families, those that grieve the loss of their sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers, and know that they will see them no more. At present, my hope is that we will think about the tragedy of having not learned from history.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905

In recent years, our President and his pundits have decided to unilaterally attack, to bomb, to kill, and to maim, as nations of people protest. The United States declared and engages in war. This action was and is taken in the name of “democracy.” American principals profess “goodness” and then, aggressively they order our youth to fight to the death. The President of the United States speaks of the importance of “God.” He claims there is “evil” and that we must destroy it. Yet, for me, the idea of destruction is vice. The result: Memorial Day.

In memorial, President Bush addresses the issue of “war.” He talks of our “courageous soldiers.” Mr. Bush expresses thoughts of “prayer,” and “world peace.” He discusses “democracy” and as our president speaks, I listen. I am reminded of how often his constructs seem limited in scope. President Bush proudly proclaims that he is a simple man, a straight talking man, and apparently, he is. His visions are often “black or white.” “Right or wrong.” He muses that "you are either with us or against us.” He says this as he expresses a desire to create coalitions.

For George W. Bush, people and precepts are “good” or they are “evil.” Governments are democratic or ruled by tyrants. There is no in-between for this, our self-proclaimed “mindful” President. Today, as I hear his words, I am again perplexed. My confusion is this.

Quite some time ago, I purchased a book titled “Mindfulness.” Professor Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D., of Harvard University is the author. The copyright for this book was awarded in1989. On days such as today, I feel a need to I turn to this book again. I open to Chapter One, “When the Light is On and Nobody’s Home;” I read and reflect. I recall recent rhetoric and I wonder of Mr. Bush and his frequent use of the term, “mindful.”

Langer begins by discussing how we are “Trapped by Categories.” She writes, “ We experience the world by creating categories and making distinctions among them.” For instance, “This is a Chinese, not a Japanese vase,” or as President Bush might say of Iraq and did in his 2002 State of the Union address, “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil.” George W. Bush is certain of this construct. He has classified Iraq as “evil” and it is, for him, as he often declares, “just that simple.”

Dr. Langer continues, “Without categories the world might seem to escape us.” She states, “Tibetan Buddhist call this [the] habit of the mind, “The Lord of Speech.” The Tibetan Buddhists define this practice, “We adopt sets of categories which serve as ways of managing phenomena. The most fully developed products of this tendency are ideologies, the systems of ideas that rationalize, justify, and sanctify our lives. Nationalism, communism, existentialism, Christianity, Buddhism all provide us with identities, rules of action, and interpretations of how and why things happen.”

Langer expands and expounds; she states, “The creation of new categories, is a mindful activity. Mindlessness sets in when we rely too rigidly on categories and distinctions created in the past.” Examples of these might be, “We are good; they are evil.” “We are right; they are wrong.” “Saddam Hussein delivers ‘lies, deceptions, and defiance.’” I could offer a host of other Bushisms. However, the list is endless.

Professor Langer writes, “Once distinctions are created, they take on a life of their own.” The categories we make gather momentum and are very hard to overthrow. We build our own and shared realities and then become victims of them – blind to the fact that they are constructs, ideas.”

Dr. Langer cautions us, “To be mindless is to be trapped in a rigid world”; and thus my real concern. From the beginning, specifically since September 11, 2001, Mr. Bush stated, “War is my absolute last option.” Yet, I wonder. I ask. If war is an option, an idea, or a possibility cemented in ones mind, does it not gain momentum? Does it not become a reality, one that when expressed often enough is ultimately shared?

Might this reflection be the lesson that we have yet to learn from the past? As long as we believe war is an option, do we not continue to contemplate it, to pursue it, and ultimately to create it? Is this not the cause for conflict? If we were to release ourselves from this belief, if we were to eliminate this category from our minds, might we never observe another day that memorializes our fallen war heroes? Might we begin to actively honor peace? My hope is that soon, some day very soon, Memorial Day will not honor the passing of lives, but instead honor a long ago past, one that will never be repeated.

Armando of Daily Kos shares his reflections on Memorial Day

AlterNet, The Silent Media Curse of Memorial Day By Norman Solomon is another good read.