War Toys

“But the Devil's bride, reason, the lovely whore comes in and wants to be wise, and what she says, she thinks, is the Holy Spirit. Who can be of any help then? Neither jurist, physician nor king, nor emperor; for she is the foremost whore the devil has. The other gross sins can be seen but nobody can control reason. And what I say about the sin of lust which everybody understands, applys also to reason; for the reason mocks and affronts God in spiritual things and has in it more hideous harlotry than any harlot.” Martin Luther. Last sermon at Wittenberg, 1546


When I was young I yearned for excitement. I loved war toys, big machines, guns, and adventure.

When I was 17 I joined the United States Army as an infantry private. I trained in the wet and cold outdoors. I slept on the wet cold ground. Life was very miserable as an infantryman.

I remember cold nights outdoors on training exercises. Sometimes I stood guard duty. During the boring hours on duty in the cold and rain I would fantasize about being in a warm bed with clean sheets and a beautiful woman in my arms.

Many years later, as a middle aged man, I lay in bed with a wonderful woman in my arms and I thought about those miserable nights, when I fantasized about what I was actually doing, holding her in my arms. I squeezed her gently, and smelled her soft hair. She asked what I was thinking and I told her I used to be miserable and would fantasize about being here with her. She seemed pleased that she made my fantasy come true.

I starting reading classic books and reflecting on some miserable and uncomfortable situations I had seen. As my financial situation improved I began to enjoy comfort instead of adventure. Reflecting on the misery in the world and the suffering caused by war and the vices of human actions, I decided war was exciting, but I preferred the quite serene life of contemplation of why we fight, instead of preferring to fight.

Europe used to be at each other's throats. Each tribe terrorized the other. Each had a deity, and that deity was force and violence. It was all so wasteful and unnecessary. Look at Europe now. The past warring tribes are one peaceful union, trading with each other and using a common currency! All those millions of Europeans slaughtered for nothing. Will we be trading partners with the Muslim world someday, like we are with the Vietnamese, who we used to kill with our war toys?

Bilbo Baggins