I've been watching a lot of JAG in the recent years. Partly due to the fact the Dad loves the series. Partly due to the fact I've bought half of the seasons for him. Partly still due to the fact that it's a way the Dad and I hang out and it gives me an opportunity to learn and be less ignorant of military lingo, rules, and understand the way the world works in some military cases. I'm not saying I'm learning all of it from a TV show that ended in like 2004, but instead by piquing my interest to do research and also using the Dad as a resource. As someone who had been in the military the Dad can be quite knowledgable. It's been a running joke to just look at the Dad and reply, "But you know everything... That's why I always ask you".
In the recent episodes of JAG we've hit the post-9/11/2001 era. And there was a debate in a court case of an episode from last night. They were debating on if the "War on Terrorism" is/was really a war.
I have to believe that it definitely was a war. Not declared, but fighting, killing, and suffering happened. Isn't that what war is? Declared or not. The pain was real and people died for a reason.
The better question I'm pondering over is, if it was a war... then is was the correct tense in relation to the war on terrorism? Is it still going on, or is it all in the past? I can't say I even remotely believe it's in the past. There's still too much all around hatred regarding the peoples involved. It was another way to have an ages old Religious War. That Religious War has been being fought since before Christ was born into our world. The fact that it is still going on is beyond unbelievable.
I guess I still don't understand why people have to be so horrid and evil with their religions. And yes, I do mean all people. So convinced they are right and their God(s) are the true God(s). That just causes strife amongst each other. So unyielding toward acceptance of everyone. So unyielding to just agree to disagree. No acceptance and no understanding for others - for your neighbors, friends, brothers...
I am not exempt from this group. I find myself so willing to dislike and wish the vanishing (I do mean vanishing, because I don't wish pain, death, or sadness on them... I guess I really just want them to leave each other alone if they can't coexist peacefully) of people who want to cause harm to others due to religious disagreements. I find myself on the edge... teetering between profound annoyance and indifference of peoples that admittedly I know little about, and the most terrifying thing of all is, I don't know why I am so close to the edge of negative feelings toward them. It's partially the media exposure and pop-culture exposure to the groups. The way they are fictionally portrayed affects how we see them in our everyday lives. I am almost never filled with more anger than when I see people (who are fictitious) in tv shows who are so religiously prejudice that they attack others for no reason.
We are being trained to think specific things of people who we are "at war" with. But without a declared war, are we really at war? Should we really be considering them our enemies? With the buzz and chatter of what "they" think how can we know what is true and what isn't? How can we tell the political lies from the truth? I don't know where this leaves things. I don't know what it all means or how things will turn out. I don't even know why there is fighting, who started it, and if it's still in progress. No war was declared; no war was ended. The Vietnam War wasn't a declared war... but it was a war. What does War on Terrorism even mean? I'm just getting left with more questions and little answers.
How many peoples hate us, Americans, for the mere name American? How many think we're all greedy and worthless? How many think that we care for no one and do nothing to help anyone - one giant nation of Scrooge McDucks (for lack of a better visual)?
I'm betting a lot of people. Yet we give aid to foreign nations - be it monetary, food, medicine, weapons, or just soldiers at times. I've seen goodness in a number of fellow United States' dwellers. And I've seen evil in them as well. We are all different. We are many. We are one. We are the same. There's no getting around it all.
But when you really think about it, isn't everyone the same on some natural level? I just don't understand why religions bring so much hatred. When they were meant to bring unity, love, and brotherhood. But in order for religion to bring the good, apparently there must be a common enemy.
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