I Miss Iraq. I Miss My Gun. I Miss My War. (2007) | Hacker News Reader

I Miss Iraq. I Miss My Gun. I Miss My War. (2007)

esquire.com

61 pointsstaunch11 comments

There's a great book called War by Sebastian Junger, the author of the perfect storm. It follows soldiers fighting in the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan.

I wrote a post quoting some of my favorite sections but the one I remember most is this:

These hillsides of loose shale and holly trees are where the men feel not most _alive_ - that you can get skydiving - but most utilized. The most necessary. The most clear and certain and purposeful. If young men could get that feeling at home, no one would ever want to go to war again, but they can't.

I find the contrast with alpinism very interesting. Instead of an enemy trying to kill you, it's a combination of nature and your own ambition. Ambition is an essential part of it, because mountains are harmless if you stay away from them. Enemies come after you.

Some people (and companies and countries) need enemies to get that sense of clarity and purpose. Maybe that's because they don't take their own goals seriously enough. It would be good if they could learn, because wars, competitive alpinism, and recklessly agressive business are so destructive.

Norman Mailer describes this, in "The White Man Unburdened":

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2003/jul/17/the-whi...

In a nutshell, Mailer argues that the average, working-class white man was robbed of relevance, having to compete with women & minorities for education, athletics and work, often lagging behind. He cites their diminishing athletic performance, and the dwindling number of top-class white sportsmen.

Mailer argues the Iraq war gave them something to cheer.

One of the most thought provoking books I've ever read is "A Terrible Love of War" by James Hillman. This books explores the topic of the linked article from a Jungian point of view (motifs, archetypes, metaphors, mythology, etc...) which may turn off some people, but I found it expansive and fascinating. Highly recommended if the topic of the Esquire article was interesting to you.

"It is good that war is so terrible - lest we should grow too fond of it." -- Robert E. Lee

Chris Hedges, a war correspondent for years, wrote a book called "War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning". I heard an interview he did with Terry Gross when the book came out. He said he realized he was addicted to war and that if he didn't get out it would kill him.

You can see how heavily the loss of that meaning would weigh upon someone after they return from a war to "normal" life. Especially once all the delayed trauma reactions kick in.

The Americans will always do the right thing - after they have exhausted all other options. - Churchill

I almost upvoted because it's a very interesting/funny quote in many ways... but it doesn't actually have any bearing here, does it? Would love if you'd explain further why it does, if at all.

Oh noes! I almost cared about the virtual thumbs up! Call me when I can spend karma on caffeine and maybe I'll start caring. ;-p

It's a quote about war - in a thread about war. The rest is left as an exercise to the reader.

War is the father of all and king of all, who manifested some as gods and some as men, who made some slaves and some freemen.

--Heraclitus

Interesting but not Hacker News. Flagged.

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