Have been wresting with another op-ed piece for the last week. And about to throw in the towel.
Which is hard because the prompt for this piece felt right.
The prompt was this sentence from Andrew Solomon’s Far From the Tree : “The horrors of war had propelled Elmer into integrity.”
Yes! I thought. I totally get that. (although “horrors of war” is uncomfortably close to a cliche, isn’t it.) Yes, I’ll write a piece begging for an honest and courageous conversation about war. A plea for integrity.
But after a week of struggle, it’s feeling like the real story is my own, deeper understanding of the pervasiveness of the military-industrial complex—the subject of this quote from Eisenhower’s 1961 speech: “Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.”
Whoa! (Woe)
Wow! Thinking about Syria and Palestine. I can’t understand the unquestioning appetite for violence that seems to afflict politicians in U.K. And U.S.A. Hardly know how to contemplate writing about this uncomprehending sorrow. Take care and have a peaceful Christmas.
Keep wrestling!
Do you think, maybe, that the subject of war–and its attendant uncomprehending sorrow– just might be a wee too MUCH for a 750 word essay?
Probably.
Uncomprehending sorrow: yes!
Thank you