News & Posts

War. What is it good for?

On Memorial Day, we attended a parade in a local town. The town happens to be the county seat and the locals turn out in large numbers to remember those who gave all. We need to stay in touch with the sacrifices of those who go into harm’s way and risk everything to stop tyranny. Life is fleeting and fragile, why do politicians create climates of war? Where do the thoughts for such events derive? War exaggerates conditions, reality spins out of control, and heroes wrestle with other’s spirits to reign in the chaos. The physical world pays a high price for the insanity called war.

Jordan Peterson offers these insights. “All of that misfortune is only the bitter half of the tale of existence, without taking note of the heroic element of redemption or the nobility of the human spirit requiring a certain responsibility to shoulder. We ignore that addition to the story at our peril, because life is so difficult that losing sight of the heroic part of existence could cost us everything.” –Jordan Peterson

According to Merriam-Webster, a thought, idea, concept, conception, notion, or impression, means what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan). In every waking and sleeping moment, our heads run with thoughts. My thoughts of late are, how does this relate to reality? The edge which separates reality and fantasy can become blurred. Our minds draw on fantasies to create realities, so we need a filter, to prevent twisted thoughts from becoming very real nightmares.

Existence isn’t just physical, our minds pull in random thoughts, many have little to do with the reality of being. One of the tools I was taught to use while performing stressful tasks—following procedures written by others with detailed calculations—was to always step back and do a sanity check. Our thoughts can become muddled, and we need to ask ourselves if our thoughts truly make sense. What effects will the outcome have on others and is the risk worth the chance? Why does the Bible offer us a verse such as Philippians 4:8?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, ---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --- think about such things.”

Such a verse goes beyond a suggestion, it is a warning against allowing any thoughts but those described above to flow into our heads. Where do our thoughts flow from? In 1977 Julian Jaynes’ book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, states that consciousness is a learned process based on metaphorical language. Our brains consist of a right and left hemisphere with the corpus collosum connecting the two lobes. This is a hardware fact.

Jaynes suggests at some point in time a breakdown of the bicameral brain stemmed from metaphor usage. Consciousness is metaphor based, just as our use of language creates metaphors, this according to Jaynes. These are interesting points to consider, and an intellectual exercise, but ideas I do not tout. Jaynes’ hypothesis makes much of hallucinated voices, his interpretations of ancient cultures, evolution, and the development of religion. The failure I see lies in the analogy to a computer. Yes, we can describe my desktop hardware and even the software loaded into it, but Jaynes uses this limited device with disregard for the internet connection, the user, the designer, the programmer. Although I recommend delving into Jaynes’ studies, keep in mind the limits and agenda behind his words.

 The spiritual realm is the unseen, where everyone experiences random thoughts. Our brain talks to itself, it processes experiences from different perspectives, but does it all end within our own heads? What about the thoughts popping into our heads which most of us are quick to subdue? We are left to wonder, where did that come from? How much of the physical world becomes influenced by those among us who neglect to filter or question nefarious thoughts? Our entire existence centers as much around thoughts as it does around nourishment, and shelter.

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

What are some of the ways thoughts affect us? When others indicate we are in their thoughts, does it make us happy? When others think poorly of us, do we feel sad? Why do we accept the thoughts of others? What triggers us? Building a family, a relationship, a business, a community, or a country requires standards of thought. Chaos ensues when we don’t mesh our thoughts with those we engage. Peace can only be found in our hearts, in our thoughts. Thought is so much a part of our being, yet we tend to take it for granted and not give it much thought! Thought powers our reality. So, much of the Bible reminds us of and encourages us to think with good standards. Evil thoughts bring war, and good warriors die to right the wrong. Win the battle within—it’s everyone’s fight.

Proverbs 16:32

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. “

To own a city is to rule over entropy and chaos, and a battle quickly ending in naught.