13page

T h E i N B O X Where my child’s smile is concerned, I want the best. Any father would feel the same. Pediatric dentistry & orthodontics for all ages ExpEriEncE rEputation rEsults Give your children the smiles they deserve 71-9, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 강남구 청담동 71-9 청담 IVY 교정전문클리닉 www.ivysmile.kr 02.518.2722 U.S. Certifed Orthodontic Specialist Member of American Dental Association TRICARE Dental Program Preferred Provider Assistance with all dental insurance paperwork > Dr.Jay H Kim D.M.D., M.S. US-Trained and licensed dentist Member of American Dental Association > Dr. David John Choie D.M.D fnd us at FB “ivy dentalclinic” Chungdam IVY ORTHODONTICS VIPS HONDA Hotel Riviera COEX Sinsa Stn. Gangnam-gu Offce Line7 Cheongdam Stn. EXIT 12 IVY Dental Clinic Schizophrenic celebrations So much war. So many anniversaries of lies, death and destruc- tion. Enough is enough. “It is forbidden to kill, therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets,” Voltaire said. Oh, how I detest these ceremonies of remembrances of glorious victories and the continued glorification of past wars and conflicts. We send our young people to massacre and be massacred on the excuse of “nationalism” — that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce that it engenders mass murder — one of the great evils of all times, along with racism and religious hatred. Mark the words of Albert Einstein: “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, de- plorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignorable war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” And we constantly adorn with medals those who do it. When will we ever learn? People oddly forget what took place. The rose wilts but the thorns remain — for all parties involved. Please, let’s forget these regretful and sorrowful happenings and hope that one day these will stop being repeated. Let’s grow up and imagine that they never happened. As long as we continue glorifying the wars of the past, we can look forward to still more wars supported by an insensate pop- ulation. It is well and proper to remember the war dead, for they all died innocent of the sins of the politicians who put them in harm’s way. However, the best way to honor the war dead is to make sure that the politicians don’t add to their numbers; we are currently doing a very poor job of that. Maybe one day, we could erect an international monument here in Malta remembering all the war dead of all nationalities who lost their lives through the sheer selfishness, greed and stupidity of their fellow human beings whom they trusted. A big red flag denoting the useless bloodshed throughout the ages would be more than fitting. I do not want to sound cynical, but I believe that not much has changed in the past 5,000 years of human history. That being said, I’m still reminded of Will Rogers, who is known to have pointed out, “You can’t say that civilization didn’t advance, how- ever, for in every war they kill you in a new way.” Who will dare say that we haven’t made progress? By Joseph M. Cachia, freelance journalist, Vittoriosa, Malta (jmcachia@maltanet.net) To submit a letter, email opinion@groovekorea.com