War and Peace
The most shocking thing about the war in Ukraine has been the lack of dialog. We have been toeing the edge of a new global war and all our leaders seem to do is egg it on. I don’t support Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. There can be no defense of the loss of life and brotherhood between the nations. But even in the face of evil from Putin and company, something is strange, none of the “good guys” are pursuing peace. All the talk is of arms and tanks and planes and rockets and drones. No one has time for talks, compromises, cease-fires, or forgiveness.
Zelensky has been completely unyielding since day one, talking about never forgiving Russia and leading his battered people with litanies of hate. It is understandable, what has happened to them is unconscionable, but there will be no peace without forgiveness, without love, without the good guys being good.
Now the news is that the U.S. has been playing a shady part in destroying the Nord Stream pipelines. We are so wrapped up in defending our own power on the global stage that we can’t see a clear moral line in destroying supplies that our own allies depended on.
Surely the claim is that the dealings between nations is too complex and subtle for simple morality. I call shenanigans. The laws that govern good behavior between individuals also govern the behavior of nations. I would much rather be a weak nation of good men than a strong nation of scoundrels. Our friends on the global scale should be able to count on us to be truly friends.