it occurred to me that, despite the escalating tension between the u.s. and iraq, I have had nothing to say about war here. well, I'm currently reading mother night by kurt vonnegut, and I just came across a passage that struck a chord with me. this is an exchange between the protagonist, howard, and his wife, helga:

"'You hate America, don't you?' she said."
"'That would be as silly as loving it,' I said. 'It's impossible for me to get emotional about it, because real estate doesn't interest me. It's no doubt a great flaw in my personality, but I can't think in terms of boundaries. Those imaginary lines are as unreal to me as elves and pixies. I can't believe that they mark the end or the beginning of anything of real concern to a human soul. Virtues and vices, pleasures and pains cross boundaries at will.'"

wouldn't it be nice if the warmongers of the world stopped to think that we're all just human beings who happen to live on different pieces of "real estate?" the only problem is that they'd all have to think that way, eh? I think it's a great shame that the different peoples of the world have such inferiority complexes that they have to assert themselves over others to be able to sleep at night. people of other nations, races, sexual orientations, everything. sometimes we feel such a strong need to assert that we use violence to do it, which makes even less sense than slinging around prejudices and criticisms. the use of any weapon, however advanced, is primitive, barbaric. it shows no respect for human well being, which is a tangible thing. it only glorifies abstract constructs like patriotism and ego. despite whatever justification I am offered for war, it always feels more like the action of a schoolyard bully than anything else.

it's just real estate, folks. and guess what? gabe has the right philosophy about it all. in the grand scheme of things, "everyone ties." so deal.