Review: War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning

I just finished the short book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges. A friend of mine offered me $1000 to read it.

At first I thought this book was just another liberal anti-war rant. It's not. It's a well-written, wise and thoughtful warning to those who would rush into war, promote war or support it; we should be very hesitant and very careful about taking upon us the burden of war. War is more evil than we think it is. It is has far more consequences than we realize. We cannot truly understand this until it is too late. Therefore, if we are to enter into armed conflict, we had better have some very good reasons for it, and we had best be grounded in something more--something greater, more eternal, more powerful--than our righteous patriotism.

As I read a good book, I mark interesting passages and then make a note of the relevant page number in the back of the book. I have noticed that in the back of this book, I have written almost every page number in the last third of it.

I will continue to ponder this book, and to consider it in the context of the wars in The Book of Mormon, in which Captain Moroni, who is prophet, patriot and general, leads a war for "our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46) and yet still maintains his humanity, love and favorable standing with God. I would like to explore a bit about the circumstances under which war is justified, and the best ways to go about such a horrific thing.

Although my friend now owes me $1000, and I could certainly use it, I am in no hurry to collect it from him because it is now a connection for us. We now have another reason to seek one another out and to further discuss the intricacies and mysteries of humanity and the universe. It is true, as Hedges quotes from J. Glenn Gray, "Friends find themselves in each other and thereby gain greater self-knowledge and self-possession. They discover in their own breasts, as a consequence of their friendship, hitherto unknown potentialities for joy and understanding." (p. 116). Thanks, Peter.