A Sassy Nation

I've posted on here mostly like a journal so far. A bit on my life, my resolutions, frustrations, the like. Doubtlessly that will continue, but I will from time to time want to weigh in on more weighty topics from time to time, whether philosophical or political. If you know me (and I'm sure you both do :P) you won't be surprised, but don't worry, I don't expect it will be as common here as in real life. I only think it'll be worth it if there's something in the air where I feel the conversation is consistently going in the wrong way, and shockingly I think the consensus generally arrives close to the mark on most issues.

Right now, I'm tired and I just want to quickly mention a feeling I had last week listening to an interview on "The Sunday Edition" about the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. It was a very good program, an excellent guest and I found they were able to go to a depth on radio that isn't always allowed by the format, more often I associate it with long form podcasts. I have nothing to add to that controversy (although I realize even the word "assassination" is a little controversial right now). My only observation is this:

I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was way more interesting that what I probably would have heard on any other given Sunday. It pressed all my buttons in the right way and I was only interested in how Iran would respond. In the back of my mind even hoping that something else would happen just as dramatic so I could keep learning about the geopolitics at play and watch history unfold in real time.

It wasn't all that long ago, before World War I at least, you could find serious political figures and thought leaders arguing that all else being equal, war was better for human flourishing. Peace turned people weak and didn't allow for true moral acts of courage and selflessness that allow us to achieve our full potential. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's good that we've banished that view to languish in the trenches. You do hear it pop it's head up sometimes though, in more subtle ways on this side of the bomb, but still.

I don't have much more to say on the subject for now, I just wanted you to know that I"m living with that discomfort.

Photo: Memorial the the civilian victims of Japanese occupation. Singapore.