War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning

General George S. Patton famously said, "Compared to war all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God, I do love it so!" Though Patton was a notoriously single-minded general, it is nonetheless a sad fact that war gives meaning to many lives, a fact with which we have become familiar now that America is once again engaged in a military conflict. War is an enticing elixir. It gives us purpose, resolve, a cause. It allows us to be noble. Chris Hedges of The New York Times has seen war up close -- in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central America -- and he has been troubled by what he has seen: friends, enemies, colleagues, and strangers intoxicated and even addicted to war's heady brew. In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, he tackles the ugly truths about humanity's love affair with war, offering a sophisticated, nuanced, intelligent meditation on the subject that is also gritty, powerful, and unforgettable..

America, one of the most religious countries in the world, is also the most violent. Do God and war define the American spirit as much as apple pie and baseball? This unsettling book illustrates how bellicose, war-like language is used to explain the spiritual quest. It explores the violence of God tradition as it exists in all religions (including Buddhism), and then examines how this dynamic is flipped, with political leaders using spiritual and religious language to sell war to the general public. Although God and religion have often been used to sell war in the United States, this has been especially true since 9/11. After surveying the relationship of war and the spiritual quest in the major world religions, this study concludes with an overview of how that dynamic has affected the contemporary American public discourse on war. Does this intermingling of war and spirituality prepare the population for the coming of war? The institutional blending of the sacred and human aggression appear to be fundamental to human society. The second section of the book concentrates on the political language and speeches of American politicians since 2002, following the run-up to the Iraq war and its continuation over the past decade, showing how this mystical/war conflation permeates American society..

In this book Victor J Seidler, one of the leading contributors to the growing debate about masculinities, turns his attention to the lives of young men and their understandings of themselves as gendered beings. By contextualizing their experiences and subjectivities within a rapidly globalizing world, Seidler pays particular attention to the impact of the global media. How does the mass circulation of images of men's bodies, desires and sexualities affect their self-perception and behaviours, and how are these images framed within particular histories, cultures and traditions? Questioning universalist theories of 'hegemonic masculinities', the book argues that young men often feel caught between prevailing masculinities and their own struggle for self-definition. It explores both how the idea of men as 'the First Sex' has been established within the West and the ways in which men in other cultures and societies affirm their gendered identities. Seidler pioneers new methodologies that involve listening to the silences surrounding male experience as well as to oral testimonies. This enables innovative analysis of the contradictions young men are faced with in both creating their own gendered identities and establishing more equal relationships within a world of intense inequalities..

An esteemed theologian examines how American identity and America's presence in the world are shaped by war..

Perspectives of an Iconoclast: Writings in Latin American Studies and International Relations provides summaries of various Latin American cultures as well as essays that give historical accounts of relations with the United States including past CIA operations and interventions that still affect those respective Latin American societies today. The book provides such provocative essays as "Sleepwalking Through History", an abstract analysis of the socioeconomic incentives of modern war; "Coca Culture", an essay that reveals the traditional use of Coca among Bolivia's indigenous people and how Coca plays a practical function within Bolivian culture including harvest and work cycles, bartering for goods, ect. The book's essays also promote the ideals of collective security and multilateralism in international relations including a progressive role for the United Nations and other international organizations that will serve to strengthen democracy and promote sustainable development abroad..

For as long as there has been war, there have been demands for its elimination. The quest for world peace has excited and eluded political leaders, philosophers, religious elders, activists, and artists for millennia. With war on the rise once again, we rarely reflect on what world peace might look like; much less on how it might be achieved. World Peace aims to change all that and show that world peace is possible. Because the motives, rationales, and impulses that give rise to war - the quest for survival, enrichment, solidarity, and glory - are now better satisfied through peaceful means, war is an increasingly anachronistic practice, more likely to impoverish and harm us humans than satisfy and protect us. This book shows that we already have many of the institutions and practices needed to make peace possible and sets out an agenda for building world peace. In the immediate term, it shows how steps to strengthen compliance with international law, improve collective action such as international peacekeeping and peacebuilding, better regulate the flow of arms, and hold individuals legally accountable for acts of aggression or atrocity crimes can make our world more peaceful. It also shows how in the long term, building strong and legitimate states that protect the rights and secure the livelihoods of their people, gender equal societies, and protecting the right of individuals to opt-out of wars has the potential to establish and sustain world peace. But it will only happen, if individuals organize to make it happen..

"An extraordinary book which makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the potential power for healing and goodness in 'television entertainment'." Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind (2001) "Despite the light title, this is a serious book about the healing possibilities of television. ! Provocative and enlightening." Beth Montemurro, Penn State University Can television be a positive force in society? Can socially conscious entertainment change the world? Two Aspirins and Comedy arrives at surprising and unconventional answers to these questions. Metta Spencer delves deep into the significance and power of entertainment as a means to influence society. She finds current examples of socially constructive television and demonstrates how mass entertainment can better use its power to positively influence society. In a climate where television is often a culprit for society's woes, Spencer casts a redemptive eye on the medium. She asserts that television, like other fictional landscapes, offers invaluable lessons, emotional bonding and catharsis for a modern society whose members are increasingly isolated..

In 1932 Einstein asked Freud, ‘Is there any way of delivering mankind from the menace of war?’ Freud answered that war is inevitable because humans have an instinct to self-destroy, a death instinct which we must externalize to survive. But nearly four decades of study of aggression reveal that rather than being an inborn drive, destructiveness is generated in us by experiences of excessive psychic pain. In War is Not Inevitable: On the Psychology of War and Aggression, Henri Parens argues that the death-instinct based model of aggression can neither be proved nor disproved as Freud’s answer is untestable. By contrast, the ‘multi-trends theory of aggression’ is provable and has greater heuristic value than does a death-instinct based model of aggression. When we look for causes for war we turn to history as well as national, ethnic, territorial, and or political issues, among many others, but we also tend to ignore the psychological factors that play a large role. Parens discusses such psychological factors that seem to lead large groups into conflict. Central among these are the psychodynamics of large-group narcissism. Interactional conditions stand out: hyper-narcissistic large-groups have, in history, caused much narcissistic injury to those they believe they are superior to. But this is commonly followed by the narcissistically injured group’s experiencing high level hostile destructiveness toward their injury-perpetrator which, in time, will compel them to revenge. Among groups that have been engaged in serial conflicts, wars have followed from this psychodynamic narcissism-based cyclicity. Parens details some of the psychodynamics that led from World War I to World War II and their respective aftermath, and he addresses how major factors that gave rise to these wars must, can, and have been counteracted. In doing so, Parens considers strategies by which civilization has and is constructively preventing wars, as well as the need for further innovative efforts to achieve that end..

Acclaimed New York Times journalist and author Chris Hedges offers a critical -- and fascinating -- lesson in the dangerous realities of our age: a stark look at the effects of war on combatants. Utterly lacking in rhetoric or dogma, this manual relies instead on bare fact, frank description, and a spare question-and-answer format. Hedges allows U.S. military documentation of the brutalizing physical and psychological consequences of combat to speak for itself. Hedges poses dozens of questions that young soldiers might ask about combat, and then answers them by quoting from medical and psychological studies. • What are my chances of being wounded or killed if we go to war? • What does it feel like to get shot? • What do artillery shells do to you? • What is the most painful way to get wounded? • Will I be afraid? • What could happen to me in a nuclear attack? • What does it feel like to kill someone? • Can I withstand torture? • What are the long-term consequences of combat stress? • What will happen to my body after I die? This profound and devastating portrayal of the horrors to which we subject our armed forces stands as a ringing indictment of the glorification of war and the concealment of its barbarity..

Enough Blood Shed confronts the reality of a world awash in weapons and the belief that war is inevitable, with people powerless to change the system. It provides an alternative perspective based on solutions known to be successful because they have been used already. The first part of the book describes the culture of violence that has led the world to this precipice of hopelessness, and then points to signs of hope that a different future is possible. It outlines the steps being made to build a culture of peace, including the phenomenal power of civil society: the second superpower - or the conscience of society. Part Two then focuses on the solutions that are possible for all sectors of society: For individuals, including women, children and youth For schools, educators, activist groups and religious organizations For the media, professionals, business and labor For cities, nations and the global community Focusing on the power of ordinary people to make a difference and packed with effective nonviolent success stories - often in a setting of hate and provocation - the book provides guidance, inspiration, hope and empowerment that peace is not only possible, but can be fun along the way..

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This edition features the exact same content as the traditional text in a convenient, three-hole- punched, loose-leaf version. Books à la Carte also offer a great value-this format costs 35% less than a new textbook. Elayn Martin-Gay firmly believes that every student can succeed, and her developmental math textbooks and video resources are motivated by this belief. Prealgebra, Sixth Edition was written to help readers effectively make the transition from arithmetic to algebra. The new edition offers new resources like the Student Organizer (available separately) and now includes Student Resources in the back of the book to help students on their quest for success..

English summary: Since antiquity, technical innovations have had a direct influence on the portrayal of war in the media and the arts. But has the actual structure and substance of war reporting changed in the course of technological progress from antiquity to the present day? Have pamphlets, war paintings, photography, radio reports and radio plays, newsreels, war films, tv news coverage or internet videos yielded more information content? Have they been able to make the incomprehensible reality of the horrors of war more comprehensible, or have means of manipulation and discourse through war images remained the same? Are the media truth machines in both senses? These are the central questions discussed in this anthology. German text. German description: Technische Innovationen haben zweifellos seit der Antike unmittelbaren Einfluss auf die Darstellung des Krieges in den Medien und Kunsten ausgeubt. Doch haben sich tatsachlich die Strukturen und Inhalte der Kriegsberichterstattung in den Produkten verandert, die mit diesen Innovationen erstellt wurden? Haben von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart des 21. Jahrhunderts Flugschriften, Schlachtengemalde, Fotografien, Radioberichte und Horspiele, Wochenschauen und Kriegsfilme, Fernsehnachrichten oder Internetvideos zu einem Mehr an Informationsgehalt gefuhrt? Haben sie die unfassbare Realitat des Grauens der Schlachten nachvollziehbar gestaltet, oder sind die Manipulationswege und die den Bildern eingeschriebenen Diskurse unverandert geblieben? Sind die Medien Wahrheitsmaschinen im doppelten Sinne? Dies waren die zentralen Fragestellungen der Tagung Wahrheitsmaschinen. Der Einfluss technischer Innovationen auf die Darstellung und das Bild des Krieges in den Medien und Kunsten, die vom 3. bis 6. September 2009 an der Universitat Osnabruck stattfand und deren Beitrage im vorliegenden Band versammelt sind..

How should Christians respond to war? This age-old question has become more pressing given Western governments’ recent overseas military interventions and the rise of extremist Islamist jihadism. Grounded in conservative evangelical theology, this book argues the historic church position that it is inadmissible for Christians to use violence or take part in war. It shows how the church’s propensity to support the “just wars,” crusades, rebellions, or “humanitarian interventions” of its host nations over time has been disastrous for the reputation of the gospel. Instead, the church’s response to war is simply to be the church, by preaching the gospel and making peace in the love and power of God. The book considers challenges to this argument for “gospel peace.” What about warfare in the Old Testament and military metaphors in the New? What of church history? And how do we deal with tyrants like Hitler and terrorists like Islamic State? Charting a path between just war theory and liberal pacifism, numerous inspiring examples from the worldwide church are used to demonstrate effective and authentically Christian responses to violence. The author argues that as Christians increasingly drop their unbiblical addiction to war, we may be entering one of the most exciting periods of church history..

Friedrich von Logau ist der wichtigste deutschsprachige Epigrammatiker des 17. Jahrhunderts. Auf den Titeln seiner Sammlungen erscheint der Autorname anagrammatisch verschrieben zu Salomon (i.e. Friedrich) von Golaw. Salomon “redete dreitausend Sprüche” (1 Könige 5,12), und Logau legt 1654 sein zu ebensolcher Größe ausgewachsenes Werk der Epigramme vor:Deutscher Sinn-Getichte Drey Tausend Das sind Kurzsatiren, Gelegenheitsgedichte, Devisen und lyrische Bemerkungen in Überzahl: ein Thesaurus kritisch reflektierten Wissens seiner Zeit. Da geht es aber nicht mehr um salomonische Weisheit in ihrer Urteilssicherheit und Apodiktik. Das Epigramm ist im 17. Jahrhundert das Genre scharfsinnigen, auch spitzfindigen Denkens, das sich nicht mehr an Normen ausrichten läßt. Jedes neue Epigramm Logaus verlangt einen Blickwechsel und eine andere Sicht auf die Welt. Das schließt Widerspruch und kritische Rücknahmen ein und ergibt im Resultat: Pluralität des Denkens..

The last few decades seem to have ushered in new levels of violence, challenging the notion that our globalized, interconnected world offers increased prospects for cooperation and peace. Many philosophers and theologians have offered various reasons for why this might be so, but none has come so close as the French philosopher Jacques Ellul to providing a comprehensive explanation for many of the pitfalls inherent in increasing levels of technological advance. The chapters in this book explore the phenomena of violence, terrorism, and war through the lens of Ellul's thought. Readers unfamiliar with Ellul will find as much to consider in these chapters as those who have studied Ellul extensively, and for both the novice and the expert, this book offers an opportunity to both evaluate and reevaluate Ellul's extensive thought on matters of importance to contemporary society..

How can the life and teachings of Jesus impact the most critical global problems in our world today? For the last twenty years, Brian McLaren has been unable to escape this life-shaping question. In Everything Must Change, he unveils a fresh and provocative vision of Jesus and his teachings, and how his message of hope can ignite purpose and passion to change the economic, environmental, military, political, and social crises that have overtaken our world. The Good News is more than a ticket to heaven. It is an invitation to personal change and a radical challenge for global transformation. Imagine what would happen: if we believed that God's will really could be done on earth and not just in heaven if the world's leading nations spent less on weapons and more on making peace, alleviating poverty, and caring for creation if a renewed understanding of Jesus and his message sparked a profound spiritual awakening in a global movement of faith, hope, and love If you are hungry for a fresh vision of what it means to be a person of faith, Everything Must Change shows what would happen when Jesus' Good News collides with a world in need..