The older I get, the more I am becoming anti-war and anti-violence. I suspect it is because I understand way more now than ever before how fragile life is. When young, too, I was against war and violence, but I had no idea about the fragility of life. The commitment to peace is, thus, a lot deeper than it ever was.
Yesterday, when I left the parking lot, I knew I would see them. The pacifist in me smiled at the thought of waving at like-minded people.
I was about a mile away from the courthouse when a vehicle changed lanes and ended up ahead of me. The licence plate caught my attention--it was a "veteran" plate.
As we neared the courthouse, I now had a serious dilemma. Will it be ok to honk and wave in support of the anti-war stance when driving right behind a veteran? If it is the veteran driving the vehicle, as opposed to some other family member using the vehicle, then wouldn't it be rude? Should I worry about the veteran's feelings when, after all, this was a public space? What if the veteran is also anti-war?
I told a friend the other day that sometimes I want my brain to shut down. It seems to be always at work. I am not sure how good or harmful that is. In this case, too, I would have preferred if my brain hadn't started analyzing all these and I had simply sounded the horn and moved on.
But, I am what I am, I suppose!
I drew parallel with the group on the curb. My hand came off the horn. I merely waved out at them. I drove on.
Does life always have to be this complicated?
The day ended with the nerdy me catching up on my reading. And, this chart on the US defense expenditure fed my anti-war feelings:
I will remember this chart the next time around and sound the horn four times to make up for the lost time!
2 comments:
Which war is your group on the road protesting about ???????
Oh, not about any of the ongoing wars ... it is anti-war. That's all.
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