"And men will not understand us."

Just finished reading "All Quiet On The Western Front". For those who don't know - this book is considered one of the best war novels of all time. I have to agree. It's a fantastic book. Not many people are well-versed on the Great War, most of the time, WWII overshadows all aspects of WWI, for reasons I do not know. I guess we're just further removed from 1914 than we are 1939, and there are many more living WWII vets than those who experienced WWI. The introduction of trench warfare, gas warfare, modern weaponry, massive propaganda and tremendous technological advances in WWI paved the way for the future of all conflicts.

Current events have me worried. The fighting in Georgia, Russian forces attacking after a cease-fire being declared - are pretty scary events. As we all know - Russia is SCARY. They have always been a force to reckoned with, and will continue to be for a long time to come. While Russia didn't single-handedly "start" WWI, they played a BIG role in the events leading up to the declaration of war. They do say that history repeats itself...

I do think it's absolutely hilarious that Bush is condemning the actions of Russia. Hypocrisy, much?

From "All Quiet..."
"I am no longer a shuddering speck of existence, alone in the darkness: - I belong to them and they to me; we all share the same fear and the same life, we are nearer than lovers, in a simpler, a harder way; I could bury my face in them, in these voices, these words that have saved me and will stand by me."

"I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another. I see that the keenest brains of the world invent weapons and words to make it yet more refined and enduring. And all men of my age, here and over there, throughout the whole world see these things; all my generation is experiencing these things with me."

Heartbreaking. A definite must read....if you're into that sorta thing.