Fathers & Sons

I was in a restaurant having breakfast a week ago and two men in the booth next to me got up and left.  They appeared to be a father and son team.  The son wore an “Iraqi War Veteran” ball cap, the father a Marine Corps jacket that said “Vietnam War Veteran” on it.  Each used an aluminum cane that circled their right bicep and had a grip for the hand to grasp below.  Each had a right leg that didn’t support walking.  My view was of them walking out of the café, next to one another.  It was a very sad sight.  Father and son had traveled the same road.  I wondered if the younger man had a son that will soon be ready to go.  Is there a lesson to be taken from that scene? 

Upon viewing these men, a song started running through my head, which I haven’t been able to get rid of.  It is Peter, Paul & Mary singing a song written by Peter Yarrow, titled, “The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life).”  Take a listen to it on your computer.  Here are some of the lyrics.

“Take your place on The Great Mandala

as it moves through your brief moment of time.

            Win or lose now, you must choose now

and if you lose you’re only losing your life.”

The song ends with, “And it’s been going on for ten thousand years!”  Probably ten thousand years is an understatement.  We don’t have much reliable history before that.  Our leaders will always lead us into wars that serve no purpose for the soldier or the population, but the simple majority, Patriots all, will continue to support these wars with great enthusiasm.

Cheers, Old Blogger Buz, The Pacifist