“When Men We Love Are Weaponized” (James 4:1; Romans 12:21) [Reflections on Sun Tsu's Art Of War #12-1A-5]

When men we love our weaponized,
Made a machine (that’s mechanized);
Forged into “One”, all thought pushed back,
Except to be a team; we lack –

The better part of man or beast –
The worst of power-play’s released;
Kill and destroy and steal for gain,
Rape and avenge in savage game –

The devil’s got agenda done
By all combatants ’neath the sun;
“War fever” breaks out back at home –
Folks different are – twist Scripture’s tome.

Back in the days which Sun Tzu lived,
The scope and scale put on the lid;
Now we destroy it all for naught
As if the past has nothing taught.

One hundred years since World War I –
In 1919, treaty done,
We went along just as before,
Until we fought a second war.

The Second, worse by far than First,
Did not assuage our bloody thirst;
We then blew off our mega-tons
Of atoms – still, we are not done.

Here Sun Tzu says fifth use of flame
Is vaporizing men again,
This time as kitted out to fight –
That’s setting men we love alight.

Not accidentally, by far –
With napalm – jelly-gas, by Gar –
Which hits and clings as it burns hot,
Like “Girl in Photo” Yankee got.

So burn them in arrays formed up,
On transport lines where they are stuck,
Like in the Iraq with highway strewn
With burned-out vehicles by noon.

Incendiary missiles used
As fire from “Heaven” – (term abused,
For Heaven’s not amused at all
At use we’ve made of fire since fall).

Now war is total – other folks
Are bombed with fire; we all awoke
To what this means when “Carpet bombs”
Lay waste to one and all – so wrong.

Like firestorm in Dresden raids –
Became blast furnace, updraft made
Inferno sucking out the air,
With no escape for those caught there.

Korea, flattened even more;
North Vietnam by bombers torn
To pieces; yet they persevered,
Drove Yankees out – no issues cleared.

Lord as I turn all this around,
I wonder what could now be found
As we, in You, make one thing clear –
Your love pours out both far and near.

One wag said, “Trouble with the faith,
Is no one’s tried it – what’s it take
To turn all this around – “A fire
To all eternity – desire –

“To fight against the men we know;
Play ‘Vengeful God’ out here below,
Self-righteous in our ‘Cause’ of war
Ignoring ‘Cause’ just as before.

For we indeed are greedy folks,
Who lust for power o’er other blokes;
Are willing to lay down our lives
To be last one that here survives.

“Destroy a village, so it’s saved”
What kind of logic?! That’s depraved.
My Lai played that seen out in flames
Low-level soldiers took the blame.

To “Carpet balm” (sic) with Jesus’ love;
To “Napalm” care that clings because
In “Shock and awe” our laden vans
Can bring folks food, and helping hands.

But we don’t do that much of love
Just strike a match, destroy, because
The GDP goes up that way;
While love stops greed and power plays.

Lord, take these hearts of stone from all,
Replace with hearts of flesh – since fall
We’ve twisted gift of fire you gave
To use in wars – we’re so depraved.

Thanks Lord for this.

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