When I was born in 1945, my Dad was in post war Germany. I was a child. I never asked him about it, what did I know of war? All I was aware of was that he was a US Army MP, but I had no idea if he was someone else before that experience, or even if he was a good guy or a bad guy inside that arena. But I have seen photos of him before and since, and have wondered why his smile was no longer as bright. He died at 55 before my curiosity took hold.
My emotions are all over the realm, watching a Netflix mini-series, "The Defeated". I don't think that those that returned talked about the spoils of war. I know my Dad never did. I remember he had some scars on the back of his neck, but he claimed they were from shrapnel during training.
I was never aware that Germany was divided up amongst the conquerors, into enclaves inside the ruins of a nation, the Russian division, the US division, the French division, and the UK division, people needing papers to cross from one district to another, across a wasteland of crumbled buildings, with only the elites still living in mansions.
It was a lawless land of chaos and those that were already psychopaths before the war, or became such after, were ruthless in their ambitions, their need for revenge, or just in their need to survive. I kept thinking about my Dad and wondering what role he actually played inside of all that chaos and desperation and ruthlessness? I have seen how humans can behave when caught up in a mob or subjected to tribal mentalities.
Does nothing ever change? Seems we are heading in the same direction once again. Or more likely, it has always been thus, and we have just been blinded to it.
And we are all now afraid of a virus? Wow, get some perspective people.