I walked into the living room and sat down to my mother across the table carrying two cups of coffee. It was a Monday afternoon, a ray of sunlight came through the window. My sister was in her room finishing her homework and I could smell dinner in the oven. I slid a copy of my poem across the table as I set down and handed my mother her coffee. "Clouds of War?" She asked. "It's a poem about war?" I confirmed her assumption and settled down in my seat as she began to read. She stayed completely expressionless as she tracked her eyes across the page.
After a minute she took a sip of her coffee, still saying nothing. She looked deep in thought. "That's powerful," She says. "Where is the author from?"
"Kuwait, it's on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula."
"Hm. Is it referring to the Gulf War?"
"Yeah, the author's family died during the invasion."
"Invasion by who?"
"The Iraqi Taliban."
"Oh that's right. I remember when that was going on."
"So what's your reaction to the poem?"
"I think it's kind of depressing, I don't like hearing about sad things like this. It is interesting to read about something as horrible as war in such a beautiful way though." She took another sip of her coffee and looked to the China cabinet.
"Do you have an opinion on the whole feeling of the poem?"
"It makes me scared for our future. If we can't even get along about something as simple as gas and land than I'm not sure we'll make it very far. People can't go on like this." She was looking back at her coffee mug. She seemed uncomfortable and distressed from the discussion.
"Do you think war is avoidable?"
"I believe it can, but only if we all decide to get along. I would like it to be."
I didn't quite agree with her, but I respected her opinion. I could understand where she was coming from and a positive attitude could never hurt. "Is anything confusing to you in the poem?"
"Nope. Still very interesting though. Thanks for sharing. Let me know how the rest of your project goes."
With that, I looked over the poem one more time and went back to doing my other homework.
After this interview, I really got to see where my mom and I differ on such topics as politics. She perceives a more liberal take on the world. She sees that our Earth needs improvement, and looks to help it. My mother has a positive outlook, and not saying that I don't, but I feel differently. I personally don't believe peace exists. War is necessary, and even though the battles fought are devastating, the consequences add up to a greater settlement than that which could be achieved any other way. Without war, there is no peace, and without suffering, there is no ecstasy. It is simply a law of nature. I truly wish that we could settle conflict without bloodshed, but the world doesn't work like that. Problems are handled in a very straight forward way, and peace is really only achieved through the eyes of the victor. If the world somehow does achieve peace, something went very wrong. One man's peace is over another man's dead body, and no one can argue with that; no one is left to. Peace is a castle built of the enemy's blood and bone, supported by the world's insidious deceit, and made strong through hate and suffering. Whoever has the bigger stick forms the world in their own image of peace. Suffering for one is the reason for another's content. These wars we fight are not in haste or condemnation, but more to keep peace from happening. Peace will enslave the enemy, and that is not true peace. My mother believes differently. She thinks that we can all work together and be free from each other's oppression and hatred, and that we can all be equal. But that's theoretical. If every man, woman, and child on Earth was a perfectly good-hearted person all the way down to the core, true peace could be imposed. I'm not saying that couldn't happen, but I don't think anyone has been able to completely rid themselves of hate yet. Peace, is an ideal. Not an event. Peace is for every every individual human being on Earth, but not to share. My mother is entitled to her opinion and I am entitled to mine, and I think we both bring up some great points.
Inclusively, everyone can agree that war is a terrible tragedy. There is a lot of hate, a lot of sadness, and a lot of destruction in the world. Each one of these is expressed in war. We have all experienced the horrors of battle one way or another. Weather it was something on television, something we read, or in Samah Kalakh's experience, something we lost, it is uniform that all conflict is not enjoyable. Peace is achievable, and can be reached if we all try. It will take every single human's power to instill peace on this fragile Earth, but I know we can do it. This world is for everyone, but sometimes we don't act like it is. We just need to learn to share.
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