This Veterans Day I had the wonderful opportunity to present “Humanity in War” to the Veterans at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. Here is the presentation I offered:
Thank you to the Temple for hosting this event on the day in which we honor both Armistice and Veterans Day.
I especially would like to thank all of you who took a solemn oath, and then served and continue to serve, to protect and defend the Constitution of The United States of America.
As a representative of “We The People” who are the basis of the document to which you swore that oath, and which governs our country, I stand before you with some words of recognition and hope.
We are in a difficult time for our community, for our country, and for the world in which we live.
Yet, it is in times of trial when service is most important.
The oath, if you recall, was not to an individual, a political or economic philosophy, a race, or any cross-section of our country, but rather to its Constitution; the founding principles upon which we continue to work to build a “More Perfect Union.”
As we consider service on this day, let us never forget why we are here, why so many have sacrificed for us to be here, and the power we have to help shape the destiny of our community, country and world because of that oath.
What is that More Perfect Union phrase about?
I’ll tell you.
It’s about how humans interact with each other.
Our founders believed we could live in a world of humanity, rather than tyranny.
They built a system of government based on human dynamics rather than power ordained from above or through the sword.
We inherited a government of the people, by the people, and for the people in the form of a Republic.
Yet, only for, in Ben Franklin’s words “As long as you can keep it.”
I’d like to take you on a short journey today, if you’ll oblige me.
It is a journey through storytelling about our shared humanity, a journey through war, and a journey to a place of peace and hope.
You with me?
To begin, I’ll start with history:
History, in my view, is a collection of personal narratives woven together to form the tapestry of our human story.
Within ancient historical texts, we recognize the personal stories told by Homer, Herodotus, and Thucydides as they play out on the page.
We know they are perspectives rather than simply facts, which makes them compelling to read and powerful tools from which to learn.
Capturing history from personal narrative draws us into the struggles of the individual, allows us to enter that particular time and place, and can offer us the only true image of inputs leading to world changing decisions.
Stories are our way of connecting to each other through our shared past. Personal stories are a compelling way of experiencing that past, in the present.
War is as old as history.
Humans are violent toward each other.
Personal experiences in war are most often tragic, occasionally humorous, frequently ironic, sometimes banal, and often present for those who participated memories they wish to forget.
Warfare draws from us raw emotions, forces us to seek refuge in person as well as mind, shakes our fundamental values, while pushing us to commit acts we could never imagine under any other circumstance.
When observed from the outside, war and the actions taken by those in it, are often misunderstood.
When experienced from within, war is broken down into minute occurrences from which the human perspective can be shared and learned.
The stories I tell are about real events, with individuals experiencing multiple aspects of what I call The 20th Century’s War.
This war began in 1898 with embers still afire today in many parts of the world.
The 20th Century’s War is one vibrant and violent tapestry of individuals connected through experiences no rational man or woman would seek. Thus proving rationality has little to do with human decision making.
Our lives are threads of this tapestry, even today, demonstrating that decisions made more than 100 years ago in times of trial, triumph, and tragedy still alter the course of our existence; shaping the image of the world we create and the lives of those who will follow.
Wrapped up in the emotions and actions of individuals confronting situations of carnage and depravity, the drive to survive compels action, reminding us of human resilience in the face of almost certain annihilation.
These small strands of life experience upon our eyes to the personal and emotional drama that is modern warfare.
Each thread offers insight into how individuals encounter and sometimes overcome industrial and post-industrial violence.
These threads represent the time, people, places, and decisions involved.
They are not fact, although all are derived from real incidents.
These are fictional accounts of real events meant to offer a glimpse at what may have gone through the minds of those caught up in a global catastrophe in which simply finding a clear path to safety was a momentous achievement.
As threads, they are small components of the fabric that weaves into a personal history through war.
That fabric of personal history, when woven with the personal history of every other individual of that time, is what creates the tapestry of our human story.
Considering the scale of this worldwide conflagration, the carnage suffered upon humanity and the Earth, and the personalities involved, no book or collection of books could possibly do justice to the personal stories of every individual present.
My goal, therefore, is not to be comprehensive, but rather demonstrative, by offering threads of personal experience in war.
I wish to teach future decision makers that war is solely a human experience, not some sterile game of moving units on a board, and that decisions made by those with the power to inflict violence have human results.
If future leaders hold in their minds and hearts the humanity of war, perhaps they may choose to avoid future wars.
As you listen to these stories please think of all who touched the twentieth century’s war and how you interact with each of them every day.
This war lives in all of us. Let us never forget how we got here.
Let us learn from this path to guide where we go next.
May the lessons of history compel the world toward Peace.
I’d like to play for you a short story which represent this humanity well:
How about one, which shows the humanity of an individual American soldier?
Now, for the last story, how about something hopeful?
Thank you all for giving me a chance to share a piece of humanity in war with you on this day of honor for all who served and continue to serve to protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America.
If there is anyone here today who has a story you wish to share with me, I welcome the opportunity to talk with you after this presentation.
May we always keep this human perspective in mind in all we do.
May you inspire future generations to serve in their capacity. May this tapestry of history entertain, as well as educate.
Finally, may the lessons of history compel the world toward Peace.
Thank you!