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Whose idea is war, and who then is forced to fight it?  And who are the ones dying for it?

8/10/2014

3 Comments

 
By Gwendolyn Plano
A few months ago, I attended a writers' workshop at which Linda Austin was the guest speaker. Her topic was social media, but she strayed a bit and spoke of bringing the past to the present. As she did so, I found myself in another world--one that stressed the importance of perspective.

Linda is the author of two books: Cherry Blossoms in Twilight: Memories of a Japanese Girl and Poems That Come to Mind: for those who love someone with dementia. In each of these books, she exposes a world often not seen and thus often misunderstood. With respectful regard, she shares stories that bring the reader into another way of seeing.


Given the current state of affairs in our troubled world and the fact that yesterday was the anniversary of the atomic bomb drop on Nagasaki, Linda's reflection on war is particularly timely.

I am honored to introduce you to Linda Austin.



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The world will always have war. Sad to say, but history and human nature have not changed much through the centuries. The difference these days is that the world is a smaller place, thanks to the ease of travel and the power of television and the internet. We can see these wars and conflicts and the people caught up in them splashed in living and dying color across our screens, and feel intimately involved no matter where we live.

My mother was a young girl growing up in Japan around the time of WWII. Most people outside of Japan have no idea what life was like for Japanese civilians caught up in the war. Few probably cared, because Japan was the enemy. The enemy deserves what it gets. But, complexity exists. “The enemy” is not an all-inclusive concept. Whose idea is war, and who then is forced to fight it, and who are the ones dying for it? They are not all the same.

My mother’s memoir started out as a project just for my family, to save all the stories she told my sister and I as kids. Stories similar to those of American children like us— hunting for tadpoles and lightning bugs, playing hide and seek in the dark, getting lost—but with a foreign twist. Then I wanted to include more of the Japanese culture of the time. Then my mom started telling war stories and I realized probably no other Americans knew anything about the Japanese people’s perspective of WWII. No mention of that in high school history classes, nor of the American civilian experience either. When I considered having the memoir published for educational purposes and began a lot of research, I was shocked to discover (in 2003!) that Japanese-Americans had been sent to internment camps during WWII.

Cherry Blossoms in Twilight was published for a public audience to show that war has a human perspective, something dry history books full of facts don’t mention. World peace may never happen, but I wanted to play a part in teaching empathy for those caught up in conflicts they never wanted. War is no video game or entertaining action movie  to watch with popcorn, it is not just a lesson in strategies that worked or did not work. There are real people suffering for what their leaders do. Imagine the people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Israel, and now the Ukraine. Imagine having your daughter kidnapped by Boko Haram.

And yes, war is very complex. Many times civilians—and drafted soldiers—are told what to do and think by brainwashing and controlled state media and by threat of bodily harm. Since Cherry Blossoms is a gently told story suitable for kids (it was published while my mother’s grandchildren were still school-age), I only hinted at some of that. War is hell, as my Korean War veteran friend likes to say. Let’s never treat it as something going on over there to those other people. Let’s never think “that country is bad.” That country is full of individuals who have a lot more in common with us than we may think.

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www.moonbridgebooks.com
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3 Comments
Jan Morrill link
8/11/2014 06:44:17

Gwen, thank you for sharing Linda Austin's thoughts on war. Her book, Cherry Blossoms in Twilight, is a poignant account of what it was like for the Japanese in Japan--something many may not think about. But, as Linda said in her closing lines, "That country is full of individuals who have a lot more in common with us than we may think." We just need to take the time to find those commonalities.

Reply
ML Gomes
8/12/2014 23:48:39

This story hits a cord with me. Born at the end of WW II, I have experienced the repercussions of that war. I have lived with the results of almost five years of absence, and my father's actions during those years, which destroyed my parents marriage. The reverberations from his actions still continue today. I relive it every time I edit and dealing with my emotions has slowed my progress. I have come to the conclusion it's a good thing if it helps me accept my biological fathers actions and eventually learn to like him.

It is lovely that you were there to write it down for your mom. I look forward to reading "Cherry Blossoms in Twilight".

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Vicki Neland link
8/19/2014 14:08:29

Excerpt from above article - "I wanted to play a part in teaching empathy for those caught up in conflicts they never wanted. War is no video game or entertaining action movie to watch with popcorn, it is not just a lesson in strategies that worked or did not work. There are real people suffering for what their leaders do." - Linda Austin

This article and the question of who wants war has never been more important. It is also rarely asked. What is asked is Why we should go to war and a quick 3 second statement of regret from war leaders on how much they don't want war, while clarifying its necessity with hours of verbiage.

My deep thanks to Gwen and Linda for authoring books and articles that help us see and wonder and re-evaluate those things so many people consider inevitable so why bother. Why bother? Because somewhere in the chain of events, be that war or family violence, there is always choice.

I like what these authors are doing!
Peace.

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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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