"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream"-- Martin Luther King, Jr
This post is not meant to be a political debate about whether the war in Iraq is just, or whether George W. Bush has any clue what he is doing. It is simply my opinion and my thoughts on these events in the world right now as I ponder the word Hope and it's meaning to me as I sit here today writing this.
When Chris and I went to New York City for the first time a couple of years ago one of the first things we did was go to Ground Zero in Manhattan. As I stood there looking at this huge empty space where magnificent buildings once stood I felt sadness. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of all the lives and innocence that was lost that day. But in the midst of that sadness I saw the cross that stood there, the cross that had been found and pulled from the rubble in the aftermath of that tragic day. A cross that became a symbol of hope and renewal. We took pictures of that cross so that we could remember the hope that was there in the midst of all the destruction and despair that was brought to this country and the world on that day almost 7 years ago.
When Chris and I went to New York City for the first time a couple of years ago one of the first things we did was go to Ground Zero in Manhattan. As I stood there looking at this huge empty space where magnificent buildings once stood I felt sadness. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of all the lives and innocence that was lost that day. But in the midst of that sadness I saw the cross that stood there, the cross that had been found and pulled from the rubble in the aftermath of that tragic day. A cross that became a symbol of hope and renewal. We took pictures of that cross so that we could remember the hope that was there in the midst of all the destruction and despair that was brought to this country and the world on that day almost 7 years ago.“In all things it is better to hope than to despair”
While I don't necessarily support the war in Iraq for the simple reason I have always believed that there has to be a better way in this world than going to war with each other. I do believe that in the end it will serve a greater purpose. 
While some people spend so much time protesting to impeach Bush and to bring the troops home, I see a country like Iraq that is in desperate need for help from the outside. For decades Saddam Hussein ran his country in such a way that resulted in the suffering of his people. If there is one positive that this war brings it is the HOPE for the people of Iraq and other countries that are over run by extremists killing their own and leaders who will kill and torture their own people just to better their own position. 
People criticize Bush for all the troops who have been killed, yet those same people fail to realize that those military men and women have chosen to serve their countries, they have chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice if they had to for the future of the rest of us. They chose to give up the freedoms of a normal life so those of us here can have a chance to live without fear, and so the people in countries like Iraq can have a future where they aren't scared to leave their homes everyday. Chris's younger cousin Alex recently joined The United States Marine Corps. He chose that direction for his life. I don't know where Alex will end up from here on out, but I do know that if he is ever deployed to serve his country that he will do it with honor and do it in such a way to bring HOPE to the people of Iraq and other countries around the world."Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark"
What I hope for is the smiles on the faces of the Iraqi children to be something that will be seen everyday, and that they will be able to do so with the innocence and happiness they truly deserve in this life. I hope that the men and women serving overseas will be brought home safely to their families when it is their time to come home. I have hope that one day our world will be at peace and we won't have to be afraid anymore. Hope is a powerful thing and I pray we all find the hope in our own lives when we need it the most."While there's life, there's hope"
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8 comments:
While I appreciate your position, and you're certainly welcome to it, I almost fully disagree with every point of it. I don't think that the war will end up with any real good and will probably end up with more chaos and bad in the long run. I do think that your position is too optimistic. Sure, everyone would like the world to be one big, happy place, but frankly, it's not going to happen. Humans have a tendency towards greed, power, and inconsiderateness. Some of us do fight those urges and are good people, but many don't, and as we've seen, it only takes a few whackos to ruin the lives of a whole bunch. I don't think you'll ever get rid of those nutjobs in the long run.
To that end, I'm very much of the opinion that there will always be parts of the world where life, frankly, sucks. I'm sorry that has to be the way, but I really don't think there's a way around it, and I don't think it's the duty of the powers-that-be to make it their policy to try to correct something that simply can't be solved.
A good post, nonetheless. ;)
The thought that came into my mind was, "RIGHT ON!"
Sometimes optimism is necessary.
I'm not discussing the war because, well, I'm just not, but I think that it certainly can't hurt to have hope that it will all come to a satisfactory end.
"I hope that the men and women serving overseas will be brought home safely to their families when it is their time to come home. I have hope that one day our world will be at peace and we won't have to be afraid anymore."
While I do not agree with your position I do agree with these hopes as they are mine as well. And those pictures of the soliders with the children are precious.
Hi Evey,
A tuff topic for the word Hope but it is good. I must say though that the world will never be at peace we already know that "there will be wars and rumours of wars". But a hope for peace is not misplaced because I believe that Hope is a major factor in all our lives. I love reading your blogs.
Aunty Ronnie
Great post! Well spoken and from the heart. I won't comment on the content...it's a touchy subject but you have proven once again that you are a great writer and you put a lot of feeling into what you write.
Great Post.
My Husband and Son are in the Canadian Military Reserves.
Our Reserves choose to take tasking duty with the Regular Forces and they go to Afghanistan.
Many of our guys' crew is set to leave for Afghanistan the first week of August.
War sucks, cuz bad people suck.
But doing nothing does not make the bad people suck less. So war is inevidable, whether we like it or not.
Wonderfully written. It brought a tear to my eye. My dad was in the military, so although I may not agree with war in general, I agree that men and women give their lives to defend and protect and I respect that & hold out hope.
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