War is not just fighting on battlefields, but it is also aiding those displaced and disrupted by the fighting.
This thought and many others prompted me to write a bit and share it in my other blog Pithy History, War: More than Just a Battlefield.
Tag Archives: War
Saith Me… Leadership
Leadership should be from the front, even when it is behind the scenes.
Leading the way means to take the first steps and chart the course that others will do well to follow. This can be done behind the scenes as is the case with most organizations that rely on volunteers. While the volunteer army goes forth to accomplish the goal, their success heavily relies upon the plan and focus designed by the leadership who may very well not be with them on the battlefield.
Or in other words, a good farmer does not need to directly harvest the crop if he has a harvest plan that can successfully be followed by his field hands.
Facts – Adjust to Them
Trying to ensure no one is made uncomfortable seems to be at the heart of everyone becoming less comfortable. Maybe we should support fact and encourage people to adjust.
Discomfort can be the motivator of positive change.
Change may take time, but discomfort encourages its continual pursuit.
Saith Me… Good Intentions
Good intentions do not justify bad actions. Neither will they absolve accountability for the harm that is done.
Saith Me.. Informed Citizenship
It requires more than just voting in order to practice informed citizenship. You cannot only tune-in every 2-4 years and hope that you’ll have more than a narrow understanding of the issues.
The world is complex and deferring your civic responsibility to others isn’t going to make you satisfied with the actions of the government.
You might not be a bad citizen if this is what you choose to do, but you won’t be an informed citizen.
Saith Me… The Ugly
The human story that shreds the heart of so many, also seems to bring out the vile ugliness of others.
When people feel a burning need to promote and protect themselves at the expense of another, we see the ugly nature of humanity in its fullness. Turning away from this ugly sight does not absolve one from its contaminants. Like an insidious disease, you either fight it or succumb to it, you do not simply ignore it hoping it will go away.
Saith Me… Seek Solutions
Seek solutions before settling for excuses.
Solutions may not always be cure-alls, but they often are just enough to make a rough situation more bearable.
In my house, the common solution comes from simple advice.
- Get up and move…
- Drink a glass of water…
- Drink a glass of juice…
- Do something creative…
- Get some fresh air…
Certainly the ills and woes of life are not eradicated by such simple suggestions, but they are often lessened.
Saith Me… Reflections on Change
Do we really need to burn down the house in order to get out of the kitchen?
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During a discussion with my children about the varied political theater which has dominated the news during the last 12 months, this rhetorical question emerged. Throughout history, a desire for change has often led to radicalization rather than the reasoned thought needed for change to be successful. Sometimes the radical voices drown out reasoned ones and disaster occurs. Other times the reasoned voices prevail.
Saith Me: We Stand Together
I had a chance encounter with an amazing 93 year old woman in the grocery store today. Her husband fought in WWII and Korea. She told me that they are horrified by the state of world affairs and especially with all the contention in the US. She stated that she just didn’t know how we would recover. I said the following
“We use the lessons learned from WWI and WWII – we work together.”
This sweet lady was momentarily stunned by my answer and then a huge grin formed on her face as she nodded.
“Yes,” she agreed, “we work together rather than try to stand alone.”
Education and National Defense
I have been pondering the connection between national defense and support for education. In a war between ideological enemies, support for education seems to have been very important. Yet education seems to be losing public support even though past wars have shown that an educated populace makes for a stronger society and better military force.
The following are two Pithyhistory posts that resulted from my ponderings.
Pithy Ponderings 