Surprise!

Cleaning out old photos, you never know what you'll find.  Note-paper from the Rice Hotel in Houston caught my eye.   The paper was undated, but the rough poetry came from 1940, prior to Pearl Harbor, when the writer was thinking about enlisting, but not decided.  Pearl Harbor closed the deal, of course.  But the questions in his rough poetic attempt are clear.  And, somehow, begin to sound a bit like one consideration of today's conflicts.

What is lasting peace?
Will it in our generation be gained?
And should it be won,
Are we sure it will sustain?


Will the end of some government
that resembles a creed
be strong enough in itself
to abolish greed?


Will the passing of Hitler
stop the forward march of hate?
Or merely pause the tide
clamoring at freedom's gate?


The "war to end all wars", the "war to make the world safe for democracy", the "war to stop Asia's domino effect", the "war to abolish weapons of mass destruction", the "war to defeat terrorism" have had their historical moment.  But no battle within them, and no addition of all the impacts of all the wars has successfully  done battle with greed.

Governments compete, lie, bribe, maneuver, and march off to war at least in part because they have already lost the battle with human nature and greed.  Financial plans and reformations, heroic battles with personal, state, and national indebtedness all falter because they perpetually lose the battle with greed.

Armies push each other back and forth, incredible amounts of money are spent by all involved, thousands die, and all on the wrong battlefield, because greed, left unconquered, always trumps human skill and maneuvering.  

Hitler fell.  The Cold War began.  The arms race slowed to a crawl and never went away.  And the rest is current history.  Hitler fell, but the world did not become a safe place.

Individuals of faith can live triumphantly.  And should.  And do.  Nations have a very hard time doing that;  still do.  For today?  Pray for those who lead our nation, that they personally can win their battles with greed, and so be a blessing to so many who have not.