April 5, 2004

I've Got a Secret

The dirty little secret about war is that it is about the mass killing of other human beings. The secret about killing other human beings is that some do it exceedingly well. The secret about those who are good at killing for their country is that they are recognized, praised, and rewarded for their deeds. The secret about those who are the most decorated in war is that many of them enjoy their work.
The secret about war heroes is that everyone is in some way like them, or wants to be like them. The secret about us all is that a part of us is a natural born killer. The secret about the part of us that is capable of murder is that we can and must live with it. The secret of living with this murderer is that we must look him in the eye, shake hands with him, give him a hug, and set a place for him at the table. The tragic secret about this demon that dwells in us is that instead of acknowledging him many of us treat him like our crazy Uncle Boo, lock him away in the attic, and pretend to the world that he doesn't exist. The secret about treating Uncle Boo that way is that if he gets out you are not going to know what he will do. The truth about all of this is that it is no secret.

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