Went out to see Fort Sumter, but spent more time exploring aircraft carrier and various B planes such as Dad navigated. It was all humbling. I was able to somewhat get inside the consciousnesses of military officers of days gone by. I saw where they played cards, where they ate, where they sat vigilant for hours at a time, defending the greatest country in the world, so they thought. (After all, all their families had come from elsewhere in order to attain the dream.) I get it. I do. Yet. So many promising lives truncated before having a chance to follow a calling, complete their educations, have families. At Fort Sumter the only feeling I could articulate was loss --- on each side. I think that humans have two important innate instincts: that of the territorial imperative and that of survival. The latter requires a sort of feral/killer instinct at times. I dont think that kindness and empathy are instincts; they are noble sentiments to which, at best, we strive. But, strive we must, so as not to waste so much potential. At the fort, I kept hearing a Leon Russel song in my head.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:20:25 +0000
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