Sleep, that's where I'm a Viking!

[meus_ovatio]

I didn't get to partake in a dream discussion this time because my dreams are pretty epic and don't really fit into "I had a weird dream..." talk. Like, I recently dreamed about being attacked by a demon. He had me in the air, in his grip, and from deep within me a spirit of utter hate and rage spewed forth, formed a knife in my hands, which I

Comments

[johnny9fingers]

I don't know if folk can ever forget the evil.

But I do know that my old man never spoke of his experiences in the war. He was in Egypt from '42, so he must have seen and done stuff, but instead of talking about it, he did his best to bring the Kid Bro' and myself up with the right values. He always tried to take the honourable view: and not the sort of honour that enables one man to kill another in a duel over an imagined or inherited slight, either.

He did his duty. He killed those who he was told to. He came back and tried to help establish a family/society/polity where no-one could be told to kill for spurious reasons. He failed that in some respects, but I think he succeeded with the Bro' and me. And I still love and admire him even though all I have is memories of him.

You can't forget the evil: but you can make some small good.

[pastorlenny]

I do kind of like the idea of you turning into a happy butterfly. But, yeah.

[dzlk]

A good reason not to forget the evil that was done over there is that evil is done over here, too. We want vets who forget the evil and slip comfortably back into the dreamworld of "normalcy" but what we need are people who can't not see evil for what it is and name it, even if they wanted to, and maybe especially the ones who don't particularly want to.

Disclaimer: I haven't served. I don't know what happens in war, except second-hand, and don't mean to posture that I do. But I do know a little about what happens in "normal" society in nominal peacetime.