The Society of Friends…The Quakers
The horror of war…the futility and tragedy of it has little meaning for those of us who live quiet and safe here in Canada.
The causes of war are usually the results of the actions of men who have little or no experience of war themselves.
Today we are all touched by the incomprehensible, animalistic nature of armed conflict. We are exposed to it daily in our media. But the men who could do something about it, do nothing.
They remain oblivious to the pain and suffering of the young men and women who die in their wars.
Unmoved by the pain and suffering of those who are left behind.
The words they speak in defense of their wars ring hollow, for by unleashing the dogs of war, they achieve no rational goal.
Quakers are opposed to all human cruelty. Perhaps especially war – because it is so deeply symbolic of humankind’s weakness and of our inability or unwillingness to solve problems by other means.
War is in such perfect opposition to everything that Jesus Christ stood and stands for, that Quakers have adopted the belief that all war is wrong.
Fundamentally and completely wrong.
Quakers have the courage and the determination to bring this message to the world; they live it in
their daily lives. In the United States, The American Friends Service Committee has presented a great work of Remembrance. It shows the tragedy of war, the folly of it and pain of it in a graphic but silent way.
No one can observe this work without having tears of sympathy, frustration, anger and sadness well up.
Due to the growing number of US casualties, the Eyes Wide Open National Exhibit has become too large for the AFSC to tour. Instead, the AFSC will be splitting the exhibit into 50 state exhibits to continue the work of bringing Eyes Wide Open into smaller communities across the country. Working with AFSC offices, Quaker meetings and peace groups across the country, the Eyes Wide Open state exhibits feature the boots of the soldiers from their home states in addition to a memorial to the Iraqi civilian casualties.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention Jim – very powerful. I cannot understand how they can continue to justify this bloodbath.
I was present in the anti-war march in Glasgow Scotland(one of many around the world) to try and convince Bush and Blair not to invade Iraq; millions of ordinary people around the world could see that the justifications for this invasion were unfounded and indeed completely dishonest.
Nobody listened – we will be paying the price for decades to come.
Very sad.
Truth sets you free.. and the truth is, not a single American was ever forced to go to Iraq.
No such choice for their numerous victims over there.
Nor did I hear anyone in the clip tell of pleading with them not to go into this criminal war.
If we find out what makes military people everywhere slaughter civilians and still think they’re doing good for the rest of us, we will have the answer to it all.