Absolutely Nothing!

"Nothing is more barbarous than war. Nothing is more cruel . And yet, the war dragged on. Nothing is more pitiful than a nation being swept along by fools." --Daisaku Ikeda

For the first time in maybe 5 months, when I walked out the door this morning birds were singing.  Not geese honking, but real songbirds, really singing.  That’s one of those things you take for granted, I guess, and never think you’d notice so dramatically.    But, whew – I noticed it like you’d notice a light going on in the middle of the night.

I would write a song that begins “Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter”, but that would be redundant.

All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

This book got Hitler P.O.ed at Remarque, so already it’s got s lot going for it.  It as hugely popular elsewhere, in its day (c. 1929), and at least 2 movies have been made from it.

It is a powerful, powerful anti-war book. 

I suppose the quality of the writing depends on the translation – I thought the copy I had seemed a bit clumsy with language, though I’m not sure there are any pothers – but there is no denying the intensity of thought, action, emotion.

On being sent to war by others:  “While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger.  But for all that, we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards – they were very free with all these expressions.  We loved our country as much as they ; we went courageously into every action; but we also distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learnied to see.  And we saw that there was nothing of their world left.  We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through.” (Chapter 1)

On the military perspective:  “e were trained in the army for ten weeks and in that time more profoundly influenced than by ten years at school.  We learned that a bright button is weightier than four volumes of Schopenhauer.” (Chapter 2)

War’s effect on soldiers:  “…we reach the zone where the front begins and become on the instant human aniumals…A column – not men at all.”  (Chapter 4)

On the enemy:  Paul speaking to someone he’s just killed):  “Comrade, I did not ant to kill you.  If you jumped in here again I would not do it, if you would be sensible too.  But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction…it was that abstraction I stabbed.  But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me.  I thought of your hand grenades, and your bayonet, and your rifle.  Now I see your wife and your face and out fellowship.”  (Chapter 9)

War is hell.  A stupid, unnecessary hell.