Should You Smile At War?

SAT., FEB. 16, 1991, 6:35 AM
FARM, STUDY

What a question with which to commence a Teaching on a cold, clear, winter morning! Your country is at war, and there seems to be no other news than the progress of this one sided conflict. You tend to smile or even laugh at this war, because it would not seem to lead to any desirable condition of peace. So you seek My counsel, and this is the question I offer you. The answer is, of course, No… and Yes, for you know Me as a Spirit who can speak to almost any side of an issue.

War is destructive. A country’s infrastructure is being demolished, and many young men and some civilians are being killed. The war proceeds “on schedule” because few Americans have been casualties. It is a war being won by high technology and superior skill in using it. Your country is the Goliath, with Iraq being the puny David. Now Iraq is the original aggressor nation in their occupation of a neighboring country, so your side has the more righteous defensive position. Yet your defense of the country of most value to your interests, Saudi Arabia, has turned to offensive action against Iraq, and they are the defenders of their own country. Smiling at such an exchange seems appropriate.

Yes, there are violent deaths occurring, and I must not approve of such. And yet I tell you repeatedly that there must be at least a slowing of the human population growth on this earth of Mine. Looking at it objectively, war is a complicated “solution” to this “problem” for, while some lives are lost, they do not tend to be child-bearing women. Further, incredible amounts of energy are used in constructing the war machines and in carrying out the destruction. Much energy will have to go into the rebuilding of the two countries being damaged, and this is wasteful use of finite resources.

This shall hasten the time when the earth cannot sustain the growing population. It shall begin to stabilize, and there shall be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. So you may smile at the shortness of perspective that both sides exhibit. Future limited resources can be envisioned by some, but the short range objective seems more important to your leaders.

Then there is the game aspect of this that warrants a smile even in its seriousness. Most of the men who are flying these missions in the highest tech planes have been playing arcade and video games of destruction since they were small lads. In the games you put in money, take the controls, and destroy enemies. You are never actually hurt, even as you may not make a high score. Now they are doing it actually, and, without an opposing air force it seems like a video game, for real. For many, there is no real sense of the destruction they are causing, except that this is what the game is about. Technology is wonderful, and it is exciting to get to use it… and find it so effective. Now… on to the next game!

I mentioned earlier the David and Goliath analogy, at which you can smile. This is a Bible story as familiar as any to you Americans, and yet few of you side with Goliath. It was an interesting form of war, where each side put up one man, and the winner of the combat determined the victory for the whole “side.” In a serious mode, I, as Almighty God, was on the Hebrew side, and so I used a young shepherd to slay a huge and mighty warrior… a victory for the Lord. Then you can smile at the possibility of David simply representing the underdog, whatever the righteousness of the cause. David used an unorthodox weapon because he could not handle armor and swords. Would you applaud Saddam’s use of an unorthodox weapon because he can’t cope with those that are now whipping him? So, smile as you see yourselves on the “wrong” side of the familiar tale.