Again Thinking

Many years ago I wrote articles, a poem and spoke against the Vietnam War. As a student leader it was normal to do so with feeling.

I have not written against the Iraq war, even though I have very strong views against what is happening. Have the thirty odd years that have passed made participation and speech less necessary? Is it a sign of maturity at last? Or an admission that it doesn't matter anyway what anyone says - they will do what they want and all we can do is get on with our own lives and hope for the best.

This of course brings up many questions such as what is the true meaning of democracy? By the people for the people of course. But by which people and for which other people? On what terms and conditions? Is it actually democracy when small caucuses in political parties select candidates so the majority can rubber stamp their choices and eventually say one candidate has won universal confidence? Or is this just another form of skewed choice ensuring only those who have sectarian interests get the chance to have their name on ballots? What difference then with a system where the ruling persons allow ' free' ballots with carefully chosen opponents and score 98.75% of the votes? Of course democratic elections are not that bad.

But this again begs the question:

Maybe war is just part of human nature. Are we not after all the killer ape?



the war

today as yesterday, the day before
the land stalks her enemy:
history does not lie,
the land is war prone
though the people are by nature
gentle, their souls peaceful.
it is the old instinct for blood
that detonates bombs, creates swamps
trains innocents to exult massacring
the next tribe, in the old hunt.

in another hunt
in Vietnam, today the killer ape
sacrifices to the old instincts,
crawling through this booby trap of a nation
into the daily news, lamenting the loss
of ceremonial destruction.


from Once the Horsemen and Other Poems
University Education Press, Singapore 1972