Sharon Kennedy: Fighting the battles in our mind
“Because no battle is ever won. They’re not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools.” This quote is from Faulkner’s 1929 book, “The Sound and the Fury.” It was not the first book he had written, but it was the one that gave him commercial success and fame. What, you might ask, does this quote have to do with America today? Listen to any news program or podcast or visit social media websites advocating violence, and you’ll have your answer. We’re fighting a battle of ideology in the realm of our mind.
That’s the hardest place to fight and harder still to win because we’re grappling with concepts instead of physical weapons. We’re fighting with words, not guns or swords, with abstractions and isms we don’t understand and rarely bother to research. We’ve become dependent upon the opinions and accusations of people who grab the limelight and screech into our living rooms and vehicles and any other place where we carry our digital equipment.
Long before Faulkner put words into Quentin’s mouth that had been spoken by Quentin’s father and grandfather before him, Sun Tzu wrote in “The Art of War” that “every battle is won or lost before it’s ever fought.” Among other things, Tzu was a Chinese general long before Jesus walked the earth. Once again you might ask what does any of this have to do with today’s problems. Why is Kennedy reaching into the past and quoting dead men?
A valid question, I agree, but sometimes it’s necessary to poke into the past — whether it’s 94 years ago or many centuries — to try and make sense of today’s political war. I’m already sick of it. Sick of the rhetoric we’ll hear for the next 16 months as candidates scream at each other while they twist and distort facts to fit their messages of propaganda. The attacks will be as relentless and fierce as warriors following the commands of their generals.
But who are the generals leading today’s charge? The way I see it, they are two old men who have no business forcing their troops onto an oratory battlefield. One man is furious at everyone because he’s being exposed as an emperor with no clothes. The other man is confused and tired. He wants his own bed and basement. Whereas the former is vigorously rallying his followers, the other is napping during meetings.
So when it comes to front-runners for president in the 2024 election, the choices appear dismal, but look beyond the obvious and dig a little deeper. Which old man will do the least harm to our country? We’re all tired of the beating our ears take every day. We’re tempted to turn off what passes for news, but we don’t want to miss anything that might actually be pertinent policy instead of political pomposity. Whoever wins the prize will depend upon the last bruised and bone-tired old man standing.
I’ll wind this up with a quote from Shakespeare’s “Julius Cesar.” “And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and do it gladly.”
In other words, victory really is only an illusion of philosophers and fools.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at authorsharonkennedy.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: Fighting the battles in our mind
