Cats and dogs are considered to be natural adversaries  and we expect they will be combative when  facing one another. Sometimes they surprise us  and actually do find common ground. Even show evidences of genuine affection for one another. But only in unique circumstances.

 Wouldn't it be amazing if they were actually  able to resolve those differences with something so simple as a tug of war ?  No fur flying, no painful injuries to be treated once they were separated, no peripheral damages, no fatalities. Only a recognition that whatever the differences there was a way to find unanimity without resorting to violence.

 And wouldn't it be even more amazing if man was able, or willing, to embrace such means when faced with seemingly unresolvable situations?  Perhaps animals are more malleable than humans after all.

In the animal kingdom when disagreements arise  which can only be resolved by resorting to violence the acknowledged leaders meet in combat to establish their claim to territory . With humans the leaders decide on combat and then sit back and send others to do their bidding.   Using common sense and  careful consideration ...  which  seems to be the more civilized approach ? Why should the youth of tomorrow be the ones asked to make the ultimate sacrifice ? Why shouldn't those engaging in combat be those who ask  that they be designated as our leaders and decision makers ? Might that not lead to more serious thought before taking to the battlefield ?

It is said that old men declare wars and youngsters do battle and lay down their lives in their names. Somehow that just doesn't equate. We squander the lives of our children  and the children of our adversaries when we wage war and those who have  the responsibility for those decisions sit back, safe in their ivory towers watching those children die. That, quite simply, is why war is  so often considered a viable option ... it isn't the ones making those grave decisions who will be called upon to face the enemy up close and personal. They won't have to look into the eyes of the  enemy they are about to kill nor will they have to look into the sightless eyes of the dead children who are  the innocent victims of the carnage they have invited.

 Many years ago  it was thought that a means of resolving differences  had been   created when the United Nations was founded. And for many years it worked for the most part.  Now, there are those who would scuttle that dream because it doesn't always  work seamlessly and to their advantage. Rather than seek ways to reinforce its original intent they instead would destroy it and revert to lawless world wide chaos. And these are the ones who would have us trust them to lead us ? 

 War may be necessary at times but only as a last resort and when all else fails. To send youngsters into combat without first having exhausted every other avenue is a crime for which  there is no excuse. Even those youngsters who do survive  are changed forever. The nightmare that will haunt them for the rest of their days can only be imagined by those who have not  been faced with the horrors they have witnessed or been forced to inflict on others. Is it any wonder that battle scarred veterans seldom talk about what they have experienced ?  No one likes to revisit a nightmare.

Today we see situations developing which almost surely guarantee  horrors beyond anything one can even imagine. We hear rhetoric which is inflammatory, we see actions taken which create a climate of hatred, and yet we sit back as  silent observers and allow  those in positions of power to continue to wreak havoc upon the world stage. Surely we must realize that the abuse of power has, and will continue to  lead us on a path of destruction... unless or until  we finally say NO. And mean it. And even that may not stop them.  It may well already be too late.

 They will not be alone in being judged for their actions. By our acquiescence and  silent  approval we are as guilty as those who have acted in such a reckless manner with the futures of our children ... because despite the fact we may not wish to acknowledge it, we must stop deluding ourselves ... they are the ones who will pay the heaviest price.

 Will God forgive us ?   For He will judge our actions as surely as He will judge those who have led us to this place. We chose these leaders and we have stood by and allowed them to  do as they will even knowing that they were misleading us and making choices which would surely create more enmity  for our way of life than we have ever encountered historically. And why ? Because it was easier than living up to the principles we claim to hold dear.

 When will we finally remember what we stand for as a people? 

 When will we decide that we don't want to lose everything which was bequeathed to us by those who safeguarded and protected our futures and sadly, history shows were much wiser than our inaction and lack of courage shows us  to be.

For the sake of the generations not yet here I devoutly pray we wake up to our responsibility ... and soon !