Saturday, August 9, 2008

out shopping, the art of war, Georgia

So I went out shopping today, and I picked up a bunch of Alice Cooper CD's, as well as Sabatons "the art of war".

I'm listening to it right now ... they managed to blend Sun Tzu's writings quite well with their music! Before the number "40:1" (the casualty ratio between the nazi Wehrmacht and the Polish defenders of the Westerplatte), a female voice quotes Sun Tzu that conquering in battle alone does not suffice to be a victor in the end. (winning without doing battle is to be desired, true words)
For sure, if in every battle you suffer casualties at a fourty to one ratio, you'll not likely win the war.

Later, this is essentially repeated in the song Talvisota, which is about the Finnish war in WWII, you all remember "Finland, be afraid", right?

So, listening to this music, I put the international news up on a browser tab, to see houses in Georgia set ablaze, Russian sources claiming over 2000 fatalities in the Southern Ossetian Capital alone.
If anybody invlolved in the conflict is reading this, let me quote Brodén to whom I'm listening right now:
  • How many wasted lives? How many dreams did fade away?
    Broken promises they won't be coming home
    Oh mothers wipe your tears your sons will rest a million years
    Found their peace at last as foe turn to friend and forgive
    And they knew they'd die

Seriously, you know how this will eventually end, small details such as the final borders and other geopolitcal details aside ... small details in comparison to the human pain suffering, and the grief by the survivors of the dead.

No comments: