Yesterday, Friday the 13th, was my last full day at work.  At a high-level, I was tasked with “improving operational outcomes” of military actions.  One of my motivations for leaving was, in the course of doing my job, seeing shit I can’t unsee – not a lot of it but if you have an allergy to something it doesn’t take much to make an impression.  (That’s how I think of it.  I discovered that I have an allergy.  Some people can eat bags and bags of peanuts with no ill effects but others go into anaphylactic shock if they touch one – just luck of the draw.  If you have a peanut allergy then don’t eat peanuts.  Problem solved.)  Thinking about those things every day wore me down to the point that I need to do something else.  What did I see?  That human beings do awful things to one another.  That they spend a tremendous amount of time and energy preparing to do awful things to one another.  And if you think “If we could just get [Country X] to conduct themselves humanely then all would be well.” I’ve got news for you, hippie:  It’s a global problem.  Why we do these things to one another I’ll never understand.  What a waste.  I wish I had some insight into how to get people to stop but I have no fkg clue.  I’m sorry.

And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war. Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid… 

– Micah 4:4