Philip Caputo writes in his book A Rumour of War...
"The only thing I really liked about my boyhood surroundings were the Cook and DuPage County forest preserves, a belt of virgin woodland through wich flowed a muddy stream called Salt Creek. It was not too polluted then, and its sluggish waters yielded bullhead, catfish, carp, and a rare bass. There was small game in the woods, sometimes a deer or two, but most of all a hint of the wild past, when moccassined feet trod the forest paths and fur trappers cruised the rivers in bark canoes. Once in a while, I found flint arrowheads in the muddy creek bank. Looking at them, I would dream of that savage, heroic time and wish I had lived then, before A
America became a land of salesmen and shopping centers.
That is what I wanted, to find in a commonplace world a chance to live heroically. Having known nothing but security, comfort and peace, I hungered for danger, challenges and violence."
Philip Caputo wrote his book in the sixties - now a classic - and he describes the boredom in which he lived as a youth and about his entrance into the Marine Corps as an act of rebellion against his parents' plans of a bourgeois life.
He will feel older than his father when he returns out of the war in which he participated for 16 months. The book sounds honest and you can make connections between the souls of men and why they suddenly are capable of unimaginable acts of violence ....
Peace should never be boring for our young people ....
3/30/2009
A Rumour of War...
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4 comments:
It seems to be a honest book. Wars have always been with mankind. Even know with all our knowledge, wars are still making the headlines and people are suffering as a consequence of it. I do think as long as mankind exists we will have wars. There is always a certain group of people who are the instigators and they know exactly how to bring people to accept it and take wars for granted. Mostly it is patriotic, religion, race, expansion, economy and resources.
Reading about the heroic deeds of soldiers at war is uplifting. It shows true courage to be able to do what is morally right in the face of danger. Now I would like to read the book.
Thanks for sharing and happy blog hopping.
You have made an excellent point, peace should never be boring. I will have to read this book, I am intrigued by the lesson it promises to teach.
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