The Dao on War

Victory in war is not glorious and not to be celebrated, but stems from devastation, and is to be mourned. -- from the Dao De Jing

This is not an anti-war statement. The Dao admits that sometimes there is a need for war. History has it's Hitlers. However, the glorification of war dehumanizes us.

As an American living abroad, I sometimes find myself in a situation where I need to explain that American is not about war, or military might, that it's about freedom, and the love of freedom. Those who go about muscle flexing, like Mr Bush, give America a bad name and confuse the issues. Our soldiers are there to protect us and to help those who would otherwise be subjected to suppression and cruelty at the hands of fanatics. We need to keep that in perspective.