Lessons of History 06-10-30

Lessons from History,
Tranquil Ripples to Convulsive Tides

Mirza A. Beg
Written, October 30th 2006

Voices in wartime – Wednesday, November 1, 2006 http://voicesinwartime.org/Home/Article/DisplayArticle.aspx?AuthorID=106932&TypeofContent=Article&ArticleType=1#369781

Counter Currents. Org. Friday, November 3, 2006
http://countercurrents.org/arts-beg031106.htm

Al Jazeerah, Friday, November 3, 2006
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2006%20Opinion%20Editorials/November/3%20o/Lessons%20from%20History%20Tranquil%20Ripples%20to%20Convulsive%20Tides,%20a%20Poem,%20By%20Mirza%20A.%20Beg.htm

The American Muslim (TAM), Tuesday, November 7, 2006
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/poetry_lessons_from_history_tranquil_ripples_to_convulsive_tides/0011504


If the purpose of the war in Iraq was just to remove Saddam Hussain. The war was won in May 2003. But the selling slogans of the war were the WMDs and Al-Qaida connections in Iraq. They were proven to be false two years ago. Bringing democracy to Iraqis has also proven to be a farce. The administration has been winning election through fear mongering promising success in six to twelve month for the last three year s. The lies sold to us have come to haunt not only the perpetrators, but the whole country.

There are lessons from history for the arrogance of power that prohibits from accepting mistakes. It leads to an insidious march of folly towards a precipice of self imposed destiny. The following poem is a sort of "essay" on lessons of history. Will we learn?

The lessons of History

Perhaps history channels through 'Karma'
Yesterday's sorrows haunt our tomorrows
Every breath starts a ripple
In the fabric of space and time
Countless little ripples
In quiet repose attenuate
To form tranquil pools of harmony
But in cumulative seething anger of injustice
They build colossal waves to wash away
The burden of mighty Empires
In violent convulsions

June 28 of 1914, was a fateful day
An unknown Serbian, blinded by nationalism
Chauvinistically claimed Bosnia for Serbia,
Shot the visiting Archduke Ferdinand
Heir to the Austrian Empire, in Sarajevo
The shot reverberated to convulse Europe

In arrogance, Austria threatened Serbia
Russia , in Slavic unity threatened Austria
In pride, Germany threatened Russia
Britain and France allies of Russia mobilized
Conceited, 'civilized' denizens of Europe
Fell to propaganda, a delusional phrase,
"A war to end all wars". As cannon fodders,
They lined up to fall over the precipice
In an absurd march of folly

Imperial tyrannies spawn myriad ripples
To raise colossal tides of history
To crush formidable empires
Humbled arrogant Austria and Germany
And washed away the pompous rulers
Of shaky Russian and Turkish Empires

Lessons unheeded, keep on haunting
From generation to generation,
Thus came a greater World conflagration
To dismember Germany and incinerate Japan
In unimagined puffs of nuclear inferno
Mighty winners came up paupers too
British and the French shorn of empires
Confined to their national boundaries
Falling from grandeur of centuries past

New powers, Americans and the Soviets
Grappled to carve the world in bipolar halves
In proxy wars, destroying every innocence
Trampling the globe in a dance of death
The Korean, mid-East and the Vietnam Wars
Inflicting tyrants in the name of democracy
Selling arms, to those with no food
Sowing hunger, trampling hopes and dreams
Of unsuspecting millions in the web of lies

Then came the 'generous' Soviet invasion
Of Afghanistan, a graveyard of past empires
Pillaging and, slaughtering the proletariat
To liberate them, to enjoy the Soviet tyranny
The tortured sigh of the suffering Afghans
Crashed through to implode the Soviet Empire

In a cycle of 'Karma', oblivious of history
Blinkered citizens of the sole "Hyper-power"
Caught between arrogance of power and fear of 9/11
Succumb to an ignoramus bully at the cusp of history,
A fascistic slogan, "Those not with us are against us"
Concocted lies, for wars to create more wars
Maligning freedom, democracy and religion
To "Stay the course" to death and destruction
In validation of every evil in the name of good

Revenge for 3,000 American dead justifies killing
Hundreds of thousands and maiming millions in Iraq
Should the innocent dead Iraqis, be avenged?
Will the millions of ripples unite in a fateful tide?
To wash away the good that wrought so much evil?
Or will we learn, repent and avert the looming tide?

Mirza A. Beg can be reached at mab64@yahoo.com