Last week, I was discussing the significance of a famous photograph with a group of students. The famous photograph, whose titles include "The Kiss," "The War is Over," or "V-Day Kiss" is a wonderful portrayal of the wonderful feeling of a war ending. After having lived the second world war, people were happy to be free from the fear that had kept them going. Japan and Germany had surrendered and the Allies were happy to be done with the job. The kiss on Time Square is a reflection of the blissful happiness everyone felt after years of terror, fear and uncertainty.
And after all this reflection, I became envious of such happiness. I cannot say my life has been constantly plagued with a war like WWI or II but since September 11th, 2001, war seems to be part of every year, of every continent, of every religion, of every nation. I can still remember what I was doing the morning of the attacks in New York and what I was doing the night the U.S. began bombing Iraq. I remember wondering what a war so far away would mean in my life. So many things changed, most of which were not directly related to the war. With the Iraq bombings came the full invasion in both Iraq and Afghanistan and eight years later, the U.S. is still in war in those two countries.
This week another attack began with the promise of yet another war. France, the United States and England began an air attack against Libya to ensure Gadhafi does not harm the citizens that had been protesting against his dictatorship. Perhaps this attack will be short term; perhaps the Allied forces will attack only to scare or will see the repercussions behind a full attack against Libya. The truth is there is another war.
And for those of us that live in Mexico, we have the war against drug traffickers that President Felipe Calderon began. Although I see both positive and negative aspects of this war, the truth is that thousands of people have died, thousands of families have been plagued with fear, thousands have fled their homes, towns, and even the country to ensure their freedom and to end their fear. Will we be able to celebrate the end of a war the way thousands of people did after World War II? Will we feel the innocence they felt thinking the world would be peaceful again? Will we be able to tell our children and grandchildren about the hardships of war as a problem of the past and not of the present and future?
Will a kiss between strangers once again express so much shared bliss?
