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08/06/2005 Archived Entry: "Depressing anniversary"

THIS IS AN UNENDURABLE ANNIVERSARY. I find it almost impossible to write about war -- any war, ever. I was 13 years old and in the eighth grade when I first comprehended the horror of Hiroshima. I decided on that day never to bring children into such a ghastly world. Every other big decision I made at 13 got re-examined and usually tossed out. That one just got confirmed by time and experience.

Hiroshima. Auschwitz. Stalin's Ukraine. Mao's Great Leap Forward. Pol Pot's agrarian utopia. Rwanda and Uganda's blood lust. And the torment goes on. Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, take your pick. Is there enough good in humanity to overcome all this evil?

This is why I rarely write about such things. I have nothing to contribute to the discussion except useless empathy and impotent outrage.

Today is supposed to be sunny. I'm going to a big garage sale. Meeting friends I haven't seen in a while. Meanwhile, people are being blown to bits half-way around the world. It always seems strange to me that life and death go on side-by-side this way. Seems wrong to enjoy oneself. But what good does shared gloom do?

I'll stop now. Sorry.

Posted by Claire @ 08:50 AM CST
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