War is not healthy
I was looking through an artist’s blog roll the other day and stumbled upon this piece. She wrote underneath it..Mom 1968.
My Mom had this necklace too. It was created by Another Mother for Peace in 1967. An advocacy group opposed to the Vietnam war. The group was “dedicated to eliminating the use of war as a means of solving disputes among nations, people and ideologies. To accomplish this, we seek to educate citizens to take an active role in opposing war and building peace.”
The organization appears to be on life support. The last newsletter went out in 2012 and the last post was 2009. Based on where the world is today the piece seems naive. Although perhaps it is the mothers that need to be the voice around the world. History has shown us that when mothers have had enough and fear for their children’s life then things change. I could point to several times from peace treaties to MADD (although I am not convinced we need those laws anymore). Maybe I am being naive.
More than anything that piece made me reflect on my mother. She has been gone now for 5 years this December. I get together with my sister and my Mom’s best friend from 8 years old every December to remember her life. Yesterday was our annual lunch. It is a wonderful tradition. We get together at Gramercy Tavern and talk shop, look at old pictures and chat about my Mom. She was an entrepreneur, a liberal and in many ways a woman ahead of her time. Her life ended too early. She would have loved to see me and my sister working together on the Women’s Entrepreneur Festival. She would have been right there beside us building Wefest with the endless desire to pay it back to help women move forward.
Comments (Archived):
We need every anti-war voice to be loud and clear. I too hope that one day, dialog wins over war mongering. Wars don’t solve anything. Wars always make things worse for all parties. Remembering your Mom that way is grand.
That is not necessarily true. Wars can be “good”. Clearly, 1945 is an example. My friends that survived the Holocaust and the Japanese POW camps were elated when US troops came marching in.
Agreed re: ww2. But my thoughts were re:today.
I met the General of the Army last week. I heard him speak. You can hear the whole speech here: http://pointsandfigures.com… but I will summarize.1. If you are fighting an ideological enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy you, then you ignore them at your own peril.2. Ignoring them will cause you to have to pay a larger bill of blood and treasure later. 3. There is only one way to destroy them; with an Army. 4. You must have the support of your allies, and the country to engage.I empathize with the GIs that were drafted to go to Vietnam and forced to fight. This is why the draft is a dumb idea. We were fighting in a war with no clear defined goals, and no will for ultimate victory. Contrast that to Korea. Or WW2. Or WW1. Or the Civil War. Or Revolutionary War.The initial push into Iraq was ill advised. But, ISIS might be a different story.
With on ISIS. They must be taken out on the ground.
I immediately called my mom and said hello.So lucky to have her at 96.I will relish in that.
96. That’s fantastic!
Yup. I should share a pic of her opening her Kate Spade handbag for Channukah.What a life, born on Hester Street where her father drove a horse drawn cab and carried a sewing machine around the neighborhood doing piece work.Where we come from is important to internalize.Happy Holidays to you and the family!
Was the Kate Spade bag a gift from you?
YesI’ve been buying her jewelry form Tiffanies and apparel from brands for 20 years now.She really loves fashion and looking put together.This is the women who was so amazingly poor that her father made her wedding gown and my dad’s suit, and the wedding party was in a local restaurant in the morning before it opened.Amazing lady.
Every mom should be so lucky. Here’s hoping. 🙂
I’m the lucky one but yes I do take my role as a son as something important in my life.
Wow, this is wonderful; we know women can make a difference so I will contact this organization now. Having lived through Vietnam, the riots in LA and more, this issue is so close to my heart.
Sweet. War is not healthy. But, unfortunately sometimes it is necessary. Heard a great speech about it last week from the General of the Army. It was very sobering.