Men may cry "Peace! Peace!" but there is no peace

I'd rather take a page from the book of Lennon and say "Give peace a chance," but in reality there is no such thing.

I woke up this morning to see:

that the Real IRA set off a bomb in West London. Days before, the Red Hand Defenders killed a boy because they thought he was a Catholic. (He was a Protestant out with Catholic friends).

that for almost a year, men, women and children have been killing each other in Israel/Palestine, ever since Ariel Sharon set foot on the Al Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount.

that Albanian rebels have broken a cease-fire in Macedonia.

that Philippine Muslim rebels beheaded Christians while fighting a guerrila war.

This is to say nothing about the United States: Star Wars, biological weapons, and our rejection of a permanent international war-crimes court.

None of this is new

I'm an agnostic. I don't care one way or the other about Catholics and Protestants, Christians and Muslims, Temples and Mosques. I don't believe that peace will only be achieved when Jesus or the Messiah or whatever shows up (IF s/he shows up). I don't believe in any of it. But I'm in the minority.

I try to live my life as a peaceful person, but it is easy for me to do so, since I'm a white, middle class, college educated, employed American woman. I have it as easy as anyone can, and so I'm allowed to sit in my ivory tower and complain about the Others around the world and within my own country who are warring with each other--physically, ideologically, whatever. I have no cause to use violence, I have no one trying to kill me or take what I have. And so perhaps my desire for peace is what some would call bourgeoisie.

But I still say there is a value to be found in peace.

And I have decided that there will never be peace; that mankind is bred to kill; and that the only solution is a final solution for the whole human race--Gentile, Jew, Muslim, Westerner, Easterner, White, Black, Red--I don't give a fuck. Kill 'em all, but there is no god to sort it out.