Pathetic apathy!

Is any one else bothered by all that is going on with the war and what not? Does any one care any more?

I was watching this movie, called "Lions for Lambs". It was a sundance movie directed by Robert Redford, who has been known to be openly opposed to many things government! But this was a very poignant look at the war, and even more troublesome-ly, a scathing look at the apathy of the common population! Of you and me.

The screen writer for this movie was horrified at his own behavior when he paused for a teenie bit while flipping through channels to hear the news of American soldiers killed by an explosion in Iraq. He felt, "Gee, that is bad!", and moved on to the next more interesting news item - potentially talking about the custody battle fought by a well known pop star or the live coverage of the funeral of a model, whose only claim to fame was that she was famous!

As I hear him say that, I was totally disenchanted, and could not but think, "That is me!". I don't care. I live on the edge of the burning fire, watch it burn and thankful that someone is fighting it. I don't believe in the cause, so I don't believe I should die for it, is the justification I give myself. What do these "lambs" know? The lambs who are leading the country; the lambs that are ordering the lions to fight for them! This is the central theme of the movie.

I was watching the movie, and was quite unsettled by how true the premise is. I wake up in the morning, and appreciate the fresh air, sip my coffee and write my blog while someone is fighting for a cause, that I don't care about enough to know enough about, or say something about. There are parents who lose their kids, husbands and wives who lose their spouses, little kids who lose their parents, and I don't care about it, because I don't think this war was justified in the first place. I wave the flag and appreciate the bravery, and talk in my small group of friends of the idiocy of the whole matter, and go back to my life. My life, that is so precious and something I have taken for granted, which is totally hanging by a thread in a strange land in constant jeopardy from misled and misanthropic terrorists! A life watching for the next bomb to explode, or seeing their mates die in their arms wondering if it could have been them, or when it will be their turn.

Coincidentally, there was another talk on National Public Radio this morning, where there was an author who invited her to be drafted. Yes, as outrageous as it may sound, she wanted the draft! Not because she believes in state-mandated bearing of arms, or the cause for which those who bear arms fight. She wants to be drafted, so she can care about when and what we fight for. So, we will be more picky as a population on battles we chose. We will care to educate ourselves about what is what in the world outside and actually question the wisdom of choice to go to war because, it is us, and our sons and daughters that we have to send to the battlefield! As extreme as it may sound, given the rampant apathy, why not?

As for me, I just hope, I don't stop with just ranting!