tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post566242312488247940..comments2023-10-30T09:26:32.732+00:00Comments on Now's the time: forsythia, soldiers, climbersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-28888873606635390062010-04-18T10:13:35.559+01:002010-04-18T10:13:35.559+01:00I'm not sure I was capable of sustained moral ...I'm not sure I was capable of sustained moral judgement when doing my National Service. There were too many postings to be scared of: Kenya, Aden, Malaya, Cyprus, all of them places where you could get your head shot off. Pacifism is another thing. Bertrand Russell advocated pacifism even prior to WW2 and I doubt whether I could have agreed then, thus my moral stance is blurred. There is another moral issue emerging at the moment: if Iran appears to be developing atomic weapons can we afford this, given that there will be plenty of Iranians prepared to go to heaven if they die killing off the infidel? For the moment I'm comforted by the fact that there's a world of difference between the suicidal zealots and the cynical political leaders who only give up their lives involuntarily. Mrs BB takes a more pragmatic view: Israel is likely to take the first move if Iran is seen as a threat and, more encouraging, Iran could well be on the brink of a popular revolution which, if successful would put nuclear activities on the back burner.Roderick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828395545197001637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-71069852788928627272010-04-17T16:55:18.128+01:002010-04-17T16:55:18.128+01:00It's human nature, I suppose, that remains the...It's human nature, I suppose, that remains the same, CC.<br /><br />BB: Are you, I wonder, more or even more against war now than when you were younger? I know that I am, and wonder that apparently rational people can be so driven by territorial or idealistic motives to kill other human beings. I don't think that I was a pacifist when younger. I wonder whether I would have the courage to stand up as one now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-46393400353650618802010-04-17T15:13:57.061+01:002010-04-17T15:13:57.061+01:00As one after another the faces of men dressed in t...As one after another the faces of men dressed in their desert drabs pass like tombstones across our TV screens the frequent reaction is: "They're so young." It is one of the several tragedies of war that they <em>must</em> be young, inexperienced and strong in the belief that they're going to live forever. How else could they do it? I think Shakespeare was wrong with "seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth." These young men seek nothing other than to kill the enemy and, if we insist on having wars, we can't have it any other way. It's no place for poets. We are nevertheless lucky to have Balzac come along and pick out truths from this ghastly activity.Roderick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828395545197001637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-42922247904337833552010-04-16T19:53:08.638+01:002010-04-16T19:53:08.638+01:00It is my view that as time goes on the only things...It is my view that as time goes on the only things that change are technology and costumes and even they get revived and revised. I think the play we are all in and the parts we play are repeated through each generation, decade, century and era.CChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12653106775702366387noreply@blogger.com