Mutually Assured Destruction

“If there was an observer on Mars, they would probably be amazed that we have survived this long. There are two problems for our species' survival - nuclear war and environmental catastrophe - and we're hurtling towards them. Knowingly. This hypothetical Martian would probably conclude that human beings were an evolutionary error.”

-- Noam Chomsky, philosopher, scientist, historian

Note to my readers:  For those who read my "Cusp of Forever" posts, you are familiar with the disjointed nature of them due to the fact most of those subjects are a bit out in left field, you know, the forgotten recesses of thought.  I developed this post while visiting my abyss at the Cusp of Forever, and it might explain why this post seems a bit disjointed even though the subject is fairly straightforward.  I considered cleaning it up but, then, it is what it is.  I can only hope the point gets across, but no apologies if it falls short.

I have a bit of difficulty separating nuclear war from environmental catastrophe. Environmental catastrophe isn't necessarily a nuclear war, but nuclear war is, most definitely, an environmental catastrophe.  One is not, necessarily the other, but the other is most definitely the same.  They are, however, both capable of producing mutually assured destruction.  Mutually Assured Destruction is a philosophy of deterrence through the knowledge that there exists a scenario in which neither side of a battle wins. No one will attack because both sides will die.  More specifically, everyone will die, even those innocents not involved.  Insane?  Ya think?

The insanity of total destruction, for me, create questions which just keep on coming.  We are human, after all, and insanity is something we humans excel at, right?  Is there really ever such a thing as "temporary" insanity?  Well, you're either pregnant or you're not, but you can't be temporarily pregnant and then not?  This would be the legal argument, right?  Except, can't you can be pregnant again and again unless steps are taken to prevent it, like sterilization?  Okay, then do we prevent recurring temporary insanity by sterilizing the mind?  Doesn't the very concept of "recurring" temporary insanity equate to a person simply being insane?  How, then, do we know whether it will recur? It makes my head hurt when I hear the "voices" begin arguing amongst themselves.

"Family and work.  Family and work.  I can let them be at war, with guilt as their nuclear weapon and mutually assured destruction as their aim, or I can let them nourish each other."

-- Ellen Gilchrist, writer, novelist, poet

We can begin the insanity of mutually assured destruction with a philosophy of winners and losers.  I put forth that, in any conflict, or game, there must be losers, there must be a balance; yin and yang.  The winner is the side which loses less unless both sides lose or there is a draw.  This is fine in sports and games, but war is not any of these.  War is about life and death.  Even if both sides declare a draw, one side will still have been beaten worse than the other, even if they've beaten each other into a mutual submission.

But, what about personal relationships?

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

-- Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), psychiatrist, psychoanalyst

One would hope that a good relationship is based on a philosophy that both sides are not playing games and plotting against one another in some selfish attempt to gain "territory" they consider more valuable than a relationship they based on lies.  In a good relationship, what should be considered more valuable than the relationship?  One would think a good relationship should be based on mutual beliefs, tolerance, understanding, an unselfish grasp of peaceful coexistence, friendship, and love.

Divorce, in most cases, is like war, and the innocent civilians, the children, family, and friends, are the ones who will eventually suffer the losses regardless of who wins.  I walked away from any legal battles, gave up everything, and everyone still lost.  I think that in a messy divorce, even for the "winner," everyone, including the winner, loses.

I was watching the national news recently; an article about a man who is going to be tried for murdering his fiancee.  He wasn't even married to her, though they have a child together.  Why didn't he simply do the right thing and walk away if things were so bad?  Was his outcome truly worth a senseless death?  I understand he was actually looking to hire someone to do the deed for him.  This is insanity, sociopathic, and it boggles my mind.  The ultimate loser in this?  The child who has a murdering father and a dead mother.  Again, everybody loses.

I went to the edge of the abyss pissed off and confused.  I needed to meditate and try to understand...nothing.  There is nothing to understand about a person who murders another, other than it is a seriously bad choice.  I think it is simply evidence of the universal law of balance, of good and evil, plus and minus, life and death, winner and loser.  

Sometimes good people die for no good reason, other than they made a poor choice or were party to a poor choice.  They placed themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, zigged when they should have zagged, left too early from their home, drove while drunk, or pinned their hopes, dreams, and continued life, on the wrong asshole.  Evil has to be invited inside in order to have an effect against good unless good turns it's back on evil in which case the invitation is implied.  Every one of us has an alternate choice, a better choice, to close the door, or turn away.  Or, we can choose to gather our strength and confront the evil before us.  Call the police, our friends and family.  Gather the troops and defeat the terror in our midst.

"Mutually Assured Destruction was a doctrine that worked well for decades as a deterrent, but the world has fundamentally changed."

-- Valerie Plame Wilson, author, former CIA operative

Once we coined the term, Mutually Assured Destruction became a reality from which there is no return.  If one side has the capability for insanity there must be the reality of a deterrent against insanity.  Perhaps we would be better severed to exercise honesty in our phrasing and call it Mutually Assured Insanity.  There is supposed to be winners and losers.  It maintains balance in the universe.  If we simply "participate" we might as well just stand still and watch as life passes us by.  But, winning does not mean, or justify, the total destruction of an opponent.  How you win is more important than the win itself.  Honor, mercy, and humility should guide restraint and leave an avenue for communication and peace whether dealing with governments or people.  Mutually assured destruction is a mechanism of maintaining peaceful coexistence.  It is never intended to be utilized, and it is a sad reality of keeping balance.

I have come to learn the truth that there is a time and a place for everything.  If something exists, there is a time and a place for it.  The minute we think of something it exists, even if just as an idea.  If the idea is a philosophy, be prepared for someone to build upon it or tear it down.  Ideas can be dangerous.  Never bring a knife to an inevitable gun fight.  Always bring a better gun.  No one says you have to use it.  Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you must do that thing. 

I have made many mistakes in my life.  I have learned to make better choices.  I still fail, but so much less than I used to.  I found a better place, in my mind, where I can go to sort things out.  It is, also, a useful place to beat my "voices" into submission if they can't, at least try, to get along.  After all, we will be bringing everyone with us into forever, so maybe we should all try to get along and temper our fears and our greed.  The alternative really sucks.

Better if we find a "happy" balance in relationships. 

"It is the harmony of the diverse parts, their symmetry, their happy balance; in a word it is all that introduces order, all that gives unity, that permits us to see clearly and to comprehend at once both the ensemble and the details."

-- Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912), mathemitician, engineer, physicist

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.