Coffee mug beside me, I am trying to study the way from 60s snaps to war. Personally, I am glad that Europe has been peaceful since 1945. A fact which unfortunately often is forgotten in all the debates about fiscal debts and currency issues. I am afraid that we all won't live to see that war as  a mean to deal with conflicts between large human parties will disappear, but I tend to see it as an ultimate instrument of politics and not as the ultimate instrument of experience of the individuum. War, especially in its modern form does not only impact the armed forces but also has  massive impact on the civilian population. My family has a lot to tell about this.

I never met anyone who survived actual war and combat and liked the experience. The only one who springs to mind is Ernst Jünger with his early works. Maybe that changed a bit because there was a huge shift from drafts to professional soldiers in most countries, but never the less.

Last edited by Axelist (2013-02-16 02:57:53)

Oh dear, cover blown.

^ Will there still be honey for tea, though?

My pop served in WWII and he never talked about the war. The only thing he told was that the most scared he was was when he was guarding cargo on the convoys going to and from the USA & Canada.

^I think the answer to that is quite simple, up until WWI is was quite possible to be a professional poet of reknown and distinction, by the time of WWII it wasn't. The rock star status that was once afforded to poets, was completely gone.