I’ve been writing about Yemen in a few blogs, and I can’t seem to let it go. I’ve been holding on to Yemen because I HATE war. Sound strange? Yemen had already experienced an ugly transformation when I was there in 2008, but now it’s even worse, thus it’s on my mind. I keep wondering if any of these people are still alive?
Young brother and sister at a restaurant where we ate in the countryside of Yemen.
Is it possible to imagine a worse insanity than war? There isn’t a war that ever brought peace. Wars aren’t imagined by those who end up dying in them. They’re created by powers, governments, leaders who somehow convince those that die that they’re dying for right, whatever that might be at the time. The only war I’m aware of that had to be fought was WW II, otherwise we would all be fascists today. Now only some of us are. I suspect John Quincy Adams was the last (and perhaps only) U.S. president who understood diplomacy versus war. It’s even possible the American Revolution could have been resolved that way, but that’s inventive conjecture.
A young Yemeni boy.
My heart goes out to the Yemeni, Afghani, Syrian (and so many more) refugees because those that flee are fleeing just that: the stupidity, cruelty, insanity of war. When I was expressing my personal sorrow about this to a friend here, she looked at me almost in anger. Basically she said, why aren’t you crying for the homeless right here, those that work 2 or 3 jobs just to manage a small life, right here in front of your eyes?
Yet, I wonder if these young men still have food to eat and can laugh about anything.
I understand this. It isn’t that I am blind to those, but I see the world from a variety of vantage points. There are so many issues facing us, one is tempted to be the proverbial ostrich.
A cheerful worker at the fish market in Sana’a.
I recently re-read a marvelous novel by Ahdef Souief, The Map of Love. On one level it is a love story, but it is so much more. You will learn much about Egypt and the evils of colonialism and what we are reaping from that today, but you will also be captivated by the fictional characters and understand the historic ones better. I mention it here for this reason—one of the characters says during a complex discussion: “You know, your government, all the Americans I meet are good people, but your government’s foreign policy is so bad. It’s not good, you know, for a country to be hated by so many people.” Yes, we experienced this same sentiment as we sailed for ten years around the world. For us, it was during G.W. Bush’s presidency.
So I will leave Yemen, war, and, the fate of the world’s refugees.
Next time, The Revenant: An Opposition View
So glad you also think the same about The revenant.
Gratuitous violence that doesn’t tell you anything about the nature of human nature – except that men do horrible things to each other.
I liked your comment about your book as a film script!
Did you receive the message I sent you two weeks ago on Goodreads?
No I didn’t see any message on Goodreads. Sorry, I would have answered sooner. Nice to see that a guy agrees with me about The Revenant. I wondered if it was just a male movie, whatever the opposite of a “chick flick” is :). Thanks for your comment.
Yes, I found it. Sorry. I was looking in messages and not at the reviews. It was fantastic. Thank you so very much! I better pay more attention to those. I wanted to send you a message on your Goodreads author page, which I went to, but I don’t see how to do that. I didn’t realize from your comment here that you are the author of one of my “Want to read” books. I will get that soon. I really appreciated your review. I hope you get this!!!
I don’t know how to contact you except this way. I am interested in knowing what prompted you to check out Voice of a Voyage from your library? Where is the library? How do you usually select books to read? Thanks.