This week our nation Honored the passing of John McCain, it was fitting and in line with what all nations do for leaders that forwarded the spirit and goals of their nation. This man has did that for a life time, in life & death exhibit the best of our nation and it’s institutions.
It also showed the true contrast witch we all should see it for what it is, and the reactions to the passing of John McCain. I’ve on purpose keep contact with a wide verity of people with totally different concept then mind. They having their own feelings on so many things, I hope people don’t miss the meaning of this passing of a Great man, a great representative of our nation's politic's and military, our establishment, flaws and all but very fitting and good.
McCain was one part of our great experiment called democracy, he came from a family of Admirals, the establishment so to speak, but as I have try to explain as a people, as human beings it’s best that humanity uses the rules and laws in place to face the future. vidanaus.com page one.
People in the USA and world wide our in this period of change unlike at any time in modern history, change based on reality of demographics, and because of technology and general knowledge now in the hands of the masses. Change is coming on the most basic aspect of the systems that our world was built on. On watching this week of Honoring an American hero somethings were clear to me and many will be surprised what I saw, not mentioned or missed in this event and deflection point of our national history.
From right to left wing news outlets, many showed the prison, (Hanoi Hilton). The average American thinking it was built to house the prisoners witch goes to the heart of the point, our democracy and our involvement in Vietnam. The Hanoi Hilton was built by the French to keep a hold on their 100+ years of colonial rule. Today it’s a museum, less then 5% of the museum is dedicated to the American war ( what Vietnam calls the 10 years war with the USA), rather the museum is about the 100 + year of Colonization of Vietnam and the resistance. The flat stone surfaces with metal leggings, the small cells with chains and metal devices to hang or put prisoners in extreme position to punish were shown but my point is that it was design by the French, built by Vietnamese labor and used to punish any resistants to the control of the Vietnam people by a colonial power for years.
Also not shown was the guillotine sitting in a particular setting, the large metal plate like knife with an angle shape used to behead nationals when punishment was done or thought not enough to change peoples thinking about freedom and the meaning behind colonialism. First a women's comments.
On my own personal visit to the Hanoi Hilton in 2009 at the age of 62, much older and wiser, this at the time when I started to write my book, I saw all, the most striking thing I saw was a statement made by a women, an occupant of the prison. made to the colonial court in 1931 (I’m determan to accept any action that our assigned to me. I’m not the one who founded communism ! Communism was created by the circumstance or the oppression of the capitalist in this world that harms the interest of the workers and peasants). Of course a few countries still call themselves communists but the reality is it’s a proven failure, like all ism’s. Humans have search for and used several systems to evolve. Today it’s capitalism that proven to work best, (not new), however if not controlled becomes a system thats not friendly to democratic norms and good for the masses of people.
I have contemplated my own book about a rather unsural life, so wrapped up in many of same things as John McCain's, going to war 52 years ago. I and McCain ended up effected by it, this changed us because of the experience. I’ve know many from that experience, me from the enlisted grouping, a son of farmers, many like me were simply called to duty by the draft or patriotic feelings but we all served in the same cause, each handles that experience in their own way, I was simply lucky and found my way by living, by searching and finding the reality in life. We all share certain history, some have different view points witch is so normal, so right being from a free country.
My point is that their were 100’s of thousands / millions of men in this war, the Vietnamese and their allies, our nation and our allies all also served in this crazy war. Most the regular men that saw and experience to much war, inhumanity to follow humans, killed and were hurt for ever. Most of these men / women of all nations have already died, often without a so glorious life or send off ! Their our only a few chooses for men of battle when war is over, when peace comes. For me it was the radical concept of asking why, for many it was to wrap their lives in the flag, others there into their belief system, other simply become lost in a world moving forward so fast.
These types of experience continual to this day in our war’s of choose ! For me in the end, it turned out ask the question, why, to except fact's based on the reality of accumulated knowledge, on science, on technology, on history, and on human principles. The worrier that gradated me from 15 feet below me, then charged me in plain sight to shoot at point blank into my heart, missing because I desperately turn for my rifle, shooting me through the side. He gave his life because a Marine 30 feet above us shot him with a more powerful M-14. The important point is he was 10 / 20 / at the most 300 miles form his home village or farm overland, across the mountains and valleys. I was 12,000 miles from home across our largest ocean, their to fight and kill for someone else’s thinking, me with my limited knowledge, understanding and powerful concepts.
This is a fact ! Today we our still locked into this pattern of national thinking, Frankly I choose to become more human, excepting of reality. My logic tells me after watching this last week, tho so normal for a great nation and fitting for it’s people, it’s simply not enough to meet the future as Americans or for humanity as we move forward at this period of history. So much has changed, so much will change regardless if we our ready or not, the accumulation of knowledge and technology because of our evolution as human beings. Yes, we our still shackled by different parts of our of our human nature, basic in-sticks of self first. Yes, we must keep alive this remarkable experience called democratic representative government, it is to me and others (The light on the hill, the best hope for humanity), it has proven to give the masses of people there best hope for freedom, conditions to grow and a opportunity for a better life.
The point is the world is changing fast and will, the really big issues, well their still the same issues that has always pledged humans. Big issues our not settled, history of course is written by the winner, the reality is colonialism was in no way, never was and never did match democratic principles. Capitalism is a economic system and proven to work best so far but must be controlled. If not it takes over, it’s the nature of capitalism and is like all ism’s in that position and becomes dangerous to democracy. Why I wrote page one as a overview of my thinking, written several years ago. It’s this continual move to create a more democratic nation and world that's my hope, I see this as the best way to prevent yet another version of power to emerge from this struggle with-in mankind.
Today event larger issues our smoldering in the background because of the fast forward of this period of history, this knowledge and awareness is being force on humans reality, based on technology & science with facts, this change coming and hear, it's in-fact normal. I call it reality, we will have to face and except reality, it’s part of our evolution as humans. History shows we built our world based on several systems and belief system, when we simply could not comprehend things, we simply created Gods and powers beyond and greater then us. In doing so we created the bases needed to progress as a species but like all human things it has to progress with the overall evolution of humanity.
I very much agree with John McCain on so many of his values, on comprehending we our all but bit players in our national and human history, that living is it’s self, is the meaning of life, with me also opening saying every aspect of my life has been wonderful. The truth for me, with not better words, I was simply so dam lucky.
I have nothing but Honor for John McCain, with no malice or disrespect for belief systems or the history of America, all history is or should be used to learn lessons. So this reason I push to tell my story because the challenges and facts our far deeper. I found other truths, truths beyond my widest imagination, these realities have been tested and evaluated by myself and thats all any human truly has, what he experience. John McCain represented the establishment and did it well, a far larger number of people that served and sacrificed in all wars come (yet today) from my background, most from the poorer families of all country. I’ve said it before, will say it again, both American and Vietnamese and others that served there nations in that war our already dead, dyeing way to young because they saw to much, suffered to great and once the war was over, the world had little help for them to live out their lives. They were the foot soldiers, from villages in Vietnam and small communities across our country and inter cities, from other nations. Their ability to get and have support when needed simply was not their.
This is the history of war, wars that always end, life always goes forward. The point is John McCain never had to be concerned if he had money for rent, his next meal, if his car would break down, these our experiences also and very real. In Vietnam some efforts were made but way inadequate, so the foot solders simply suffered alone and died, this is the reality of all wars. This the point, some never seeing a war we should get into, with me understanding war is the most worn out tool of human history, always creating more problems then it solves, all war end so the enfaces has to be on self defense, on being oh so weary of all wars. Like all things under a democratic system, this also must be shared by all.
Our people going to want to read and think about these things with serious thought, well some. Many today our comfortable, live in this free democracy, the opinion and feeling of many our very different. In democracy our thinking is form by our lives lived, we form governments based on our feelings and hopes, hopefully under the laws of men, set up by the people chosen to represent them. History shows us that humans always look for a savor to fix all, both in belief systems and in politic, humans have often backed strong men from brutal dictators, to kings, and politicians of all strips, simply out of fear or deeper resentments. So with reality hitting humanity directly in the face with natural changes based on our evolution on all fronts, it will be a challenging times ahead.
This is the reason I believe in Democracy so much, a system of government that allows for the input and must also have the policies that helps the masses of people, the concept of equality under the law, of a fair slice of the pie so to speak in the wealth and riches of every nation, this I sense we must always be the goal, attempting to be meet. This is why I struggle to tell my story event it runs counter in a nation and world that lost in this concept of capitalism and me first. Equality between men is of course a dream, In-Equality has always been mankind's down fall.
However today education, awareness and evolution has and dose go forward, what was impossible to contemplate a short time ago is excepted, our thinking, our understand, our compassion has reached new hight’s and lows, many of those who begot our many religious belief’s would be pleased by how far mankind has come. My only hope is that I might share my experiences and what I learned, how I learned to except reality.
In other words the whole story of America needs to be shared spoken of, my story is more tied to the masses. The deep facts I found our also a fact, realities like the facts we our all simply human beings of one human race or species. We live on this singular fragile blue planet and event with our telescopes can find no other like our planet, at least not Yet. This reality in the formed by many things like science, based on knowledge and facts witch will increase, in-fact these multiplies, and Yes, by shear logic. It’s simply the reality of our period history of human beings and our continual evolution.
It’s best in my opinion that humans use this accumulation of knowledge and understanding to face the reality of our times. I hope my story might in a small way help us as a nation and as human beings as time moves forward. It’s the only thing I have that I can share now, clinging to this concept of (Leaving this world a little bit better then I found it).
Richard L Iverson
Remember Happiness is Oh so simple, that a grateful heart is the beginning of wisdom, that Effort is essential for anything worthwhile in life !
vidanusa@mac.com
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