What will the experience of war bring us? Will it make us more happy with our daily lives?
Is it possible to substitute war with another experience to make us realize how fortunate we are? Work some time in a morgue? Or help clean up road accidents?

Yes, especially the high rank invulnerable politicians. Not the military commanders start most wars, it are the so called idealistic civilian leaders. Even the war on Iraq was not widely supported by the military, on the contrary, but they had to obey the democratic chosen leaders.

Sander

I think it isn't the issue of death that is important to experience, but the issue of uncertainty. No?

Dens

Do you mean fear? Being close to human misery and death in our 'safe' world can make you realize that our lives here are also under constant threat. A car out of control can be more deathly than a bullet. Certainty is an illusion.

Maybe it is the aggression or that there is an enemy? The idea that somebody might cheer the fact you just died?

The war teaches us something about ourselves. It brings good and evil in us in their extremely opponents. There is no balance in war; there is no lie, only the truth in her pure form, as ugly and as it beautiful she can be. So after you had a taste of a war, you don’t have to bullshit yourself anymore, because you know what fear and courage means. It will not make you a better person to know that nor worse, but it will make u to have more understanding for people around you.

i can´t do diffrently than interprate such a laconic statment in the context of American folk, at the other parts of the world (most of them) was´s been experienced more than suffiecently .

@ Arnon

Congratulations, I like your piece in Humo today. I especially like the fact that you stand up so firmly. 'Zivilcourage' indeed is what most of us lack.

WWII veterans

The WWII veterans that I regularly speak say the opposite. Most of them have horrible experiences. These were men that actually were at the front when artillery barrages went on for hours and the enmemy overran them afterwards.

Exactly. Thats why we need provocative literature as wel. Thats why I like Houellebecq so much. We need to become aware deeply of the most disgusting aspects of life. Maybe then we will become more mellow.

@Arnon, I may have asked you this before. But have you read 'Down and out in Paris and London' (George Orwell). There's an interesting parallel, conceptually speaking, between you and him.

More or less?

A lesson in morals

I advertised on a website to provide Dutch lessons to whomever was interested. I got very interesting replies. For example, the first one was a Turkish- Jewish girl, that wanted to learn Dutch, so she could study at the fine arts academy. It is a very lucrative business for a student and you meet totally different people. The last reply I got was three days ago. M, the son of a rich diamond trader in Antwerp contacted me to hire me as a tutor to improve his Dutch. During the first lesson he gave me a small ring and a necklace.

SMS 1

Vind u die ketting en ring mooie?Wat is u levelings kleur en wanneer bent u jarig? Groetjes

He asked me if I was interested in working for his fathers company. According to M. one of the leading man in the capital of diamonds, Antwerp.

SMS 2

Alles goed?U mag van mijn papa binnen kort bij ons komen werken!u krijgt ook firma wagen van me en u word mijn prive secetereet,tolk en bedrijfs adviseur!Mijn papa zal u begin 2200 euro betalen en u mag altijd met me gratis naar andere landen reizen!!!Ik ben heel blij dat mijn vader wilt u in dienst nemen! Is die job en vepdienen goed vr u? Zo kunnen we ook elkaar beter leren kennen:-)weet u dat u hebt heel mooie ogen en u bent heel lief meisje!!!Echt waar.Groetjes M.

Today he invited me to celebrate his 24th anniversary.

SMS 3

Hey Monica,alles kids? Waarrom stuur u niks ni mr terug? Ik ga nu vertreken naar Dubi, tot volgende week!!! Xxxjes

SMS 4

Alles kids?Hoe was u weekend?Ik heb daar straks heel mooie cadeau vr u hier in Dubi Gekocht!Ik heb een voor gevoel dat door u kan ik een perfect mens kan worden,u kunt mijn nederlands kan verbeteren,u wilt met me in bedrijf wilt werken, uw ilt ook alles leren en overal samen zijn met me, ik zie een heel goe toekomst vr u!! Ik zal vr u al u LUX zorgen! Ik wil u beter leren kennen!Gaan we morgen nr de cinema en daarna gn we ergens iets gn drinken?Want ik verjaar morgen en ik wil op mijn verjardag met u zijn:-)PLEASE,A.U.B,S.V.P! ik zal u alles vertellen onder de 4 ogen:-)
EAST OR WEST YOU ARE THE BEST hebt u al belwaarde? Stuur me zeker iets terug!A.U.B. Groetjes! M.

We went to see the movie Charlie Wilsons war (quite interesting the Pakistani context), and afterwards he took me to dinner. At a certain point he gave me a bag of fantasy jewellery. He bought them on his business trip to Dubai.
And then he proposed me to marry him.

To be continued...

Monica

This is very amusing, and I don't mean this ironic. But I would like to know why you share this with us?
Do you think the person who sent you all the text messages will be flattered when he finds out that you put his messages on this site?
Excuse me for asking, but do you need to reminded that you are sexually attractive?
I have reminded many women in my days that they were attractive. I'm sure the more regular visitors on this site can help you out as well.

Zirilla

The person who made this statement is far from frivolous, the statement itself is far from frivolous.

Noa

Never read Orwell.

sander

Valid question.
I recommend War is a force that gives us meaning by Chris Hedges. See also my article in NRC Handelsblad last Friday about In the valley of Elah.

In that case, I recommend it to you. Obviously my suggestion is directly linked to your entry of today (which was yesterday).
But first read the Fountainhead, although, in the frame of mind you are in now (preparing for war), that may not strike the right chord.

I thought the humo column was very uncharacteristic in the way that it was very moralistic. I was really scratching my head thinking "is this the same author?"

Monica

I think I should move to Antwerp.

Arnon

I've read your article in the NRC. It now seems like your blog says that more people need a purpose in life.

After seeing the documentary "Meisjes met dienstplicht" (Girls on duty) tonight I felt the utter insignificance of my own existence. After my expiration I'll probably have not left any footprint that will make me stand out in the grey mass of the population. No historian will probably ever google me. That seems like a pointless existence. And it probably is. But in a strange way it is comforting not to have to care for any legacy.

I have not read anything more than a few blurbs on the Chris Hedges book, but he seems to advocate that being in a war makes your life feel more important or purposeful. The excitement, the comradeship, the danger, the life-and-death decisions. That certainly makes more of an impression than the daily groceries. And it can be missed as much as junkies miss their heroine. But is it a real purpose, is it really important?

And will the world really be a better place if more people experience it?

There is already some intense misery in this world outside of wars. I hope that making a difference there feels more purposeful than reporting a few wars. At least for the people that are lucky enough to never having had to experience war.

Dries

Thank god I’m able to write things that are not characteristic.

Sander

I’m not sure what it means to leave footprints, to end up as a footnote, or who knows more than that. And that should be comforting?
People tend to look for meaning in their lives but I don’t know if meaning is always connected to the legacy you are speaking about.
Some would argue that raising a child is enough; others would argue that having fun is enough.
The book by Chris Hedges is really worth reading.
In this entry I quoted a war correspondent; he had spent quite some time in Iraq. The conversation lasted for more than three hours, and was intense.
I could see why he made that point.
I’m not glorifying war, nor was he.
Another question of course is where war starts and where it ends.
Speaking for myself I can only say that I was happy to have had certain experiences in Afghanistan, to feel the threat and to experience how I reacted to it.
Would I have been happy had I come back with no legs? I don’t think so.
But the risk is part of the thrill I’m afraid and to condemn the thrill is condemning a part of human nature.
Most soldiers with children I spoke to said: “I never want my child to join the army.” But many of them had parents who were in the army. Probably their parents never experienced more of a war zone than the training sessions in Germany, while waiting for the Russians.
Nevertheless maybe the children of soldiers who are now in Afghanistan or Iraq will join as well.
There is something unbearable about safety.

Noa

Will buy the book.

To Dries

I would argue that a significicant amount of Arnon's work counts as moralistic. To be clear: this is by far not meant as an insult.