No word carries more cherished meaning for me than Peace. I
endorse it with all my heart. Having grown up in Germany during World War II,
the horrors of war are still vividly in my memory—spending nights in cold,
dark, damp air shelters, always being hungry, destruction all around us, the
air heavy with grief, the wounded and many deaths.
Peace. What glory to savor life!
Yet, scholars of history point to the indisputable perils of peace.
Peace brings abundance and comfort, enjoyment and pleasure, something
we want to hang on to and safeguard. Yet such comfort leads to extravagance, privilege,
lethargy and inertia.
After the First World War, Europe was tired of the horrors of war
and desperately wanted peace. Do
you remember Mr. Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the Great British Empire “where
the sun never set,” flying to Munich? He wanted to meet with the leader of his
neighboring country and make sure that Hitler was on the same page and could be
trusted.
After long chats with Adolf Hitler he returned home and pronounced
to an eagerly waiting and delighted world: “There will be Peace in our time!”
And the world eagerly cut back on defense spending.
Theodore Roosevelt would not have approved of Chamberlain’s
political philosophy. “Speak softy and carry a big stick,” was his approach. In
1901 he sent his Big White Fleet,
sixteen fine battleships around the world on a peacetime tour — to let the
world admire the prestige and power it implied.
Throughout history, civilizations have risen to power and then reclined
in the glory of their might — unaware that others have dreams of glory too. Predators
always, always abound, waiting to jump upon the unwary.
In Europe of the thirties, the idea of appeasement was coined, the
idea of ignoring unreasonable actions and demands in order to avoid confrontation
and preserve the peace. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect—appeasement
became an invitation to attack. It’s been proven over and over again. As long
as mankind is endowed with a lust for power, carry that big stick or be willing
to crawl into the dark!
Peace by all means, but balance it with muscle to protect against
the hungry world of predators.
Until next time,
Rosi
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