Post 6

War and love are two things that have always closely interconnected throughout the ages. Wars are always to solve, defeat or build relationships. In the same sense love cause us to solve issues, defeat through problems and build up a relationship. I think the author of The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien tried to show just that. And as in war, you’re willing to fight till you win, even if you lose your life. With true love, one must leave all else behind to find and keep love in your life. Love is not based on emotions, but also the constant actions that back it, to keep love alive. I don’t think that love or war can ever be perfect, both always consist of the: would of, should of, and could of. Jimmy Cross says, “He should’ve carried her up the stairs to her room and tied her to the bed and touched that left knee all night”. Cross wrestled with this idea of being able to change the past and wish for the future. The same with war, the decisions made on the battlefield directly correlate to the outcome of your own life, and ultimately who wins. “But he wondered what her truest feelings were, exactly, and what she meant by separate-but-together,” Cross said. Cross could not help but be in love with Martha, even at the expense of hurting his own heart. War requires a commitment in which one is willing to give up everything for the cause. Commitment is the tying key between love and war. But not just commitment in itself. Both need a sacrificial commitment, a kind of commitment that supersedes promises or oaths. And this is what God expects of us, where we are willing to drop everything our flesh desires, and seek God’s face at all costs.