Surreal Wars

Our grandfathers and grandmothers remember a time when, if your nation was at war, little else could matter.

The newspapers would be full of maps, discussions of troop movements. The news might be dated, and you couldn't know for sure what was true, but the war stories dominated.

That's what war was, all consuming.

Fast forward and the media have cultivated the off camera war, the war on the side. The Olympics proceed, life goes on.

There's actually no war, and yet there's a war. Two. Some interest in a third maybe. A lifestyle, a job.

Some call this mercenary heaven, however most don't like the pay and the hours are bad.

Romanticizing the lifestyle only goes so far, even on National Geographic, which tends to help with recruiting.

Warriors want to improve life for those they protect. The nation that needs building might not be overseas? What new institutions might fill the void? What voids need filling?

I'm sure Congress is working overtime on these questions, that we all might sleep better at night.