War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning By Chris Hedges Summary

In Chris Hedges’ War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, we hear firsthand accounts of the horrors of war, the devastation it brings, and the countless lives affected by this manmade construct. Hedges solemnly recounts the destruction that he has seen, in armed conflicts spanning the globe, over the course of his fifteen years as a war correspondent. His recollection of these events, however, does not end with merely showcasing the death and ruin that war causes, but rather, the conveyance of a much deeper message—war is a drug.

Powerfully illustrating the addictive, psychological effects that war can have on individuals, himself not immune, Hedges writes, “The chance to exist for an intense and overpowering moment, even if it meant certain oblivion, seemed worth it in the midst of war—and very stupid once the war ended.'' He describes war as an escape from the mundane, normal lives most of us lead, a chance to shed individual responsibility and to feel a part of a larger calling. Humans, yearning to bring meaning to their lives, have always searched

for this sort of fulfillment. Hedges tells us that in war, we discover a purpose in life with it filling “our spiritual void,” but this, he says, is a result of being “blinded by the narcotic of war.” To a degree, I can rationalize his thinking, however, scientifically and biologically speaking, this goes against our animalistic instinct to avoid confrontation—intentional confrontation at that—for the pure sake of self-preservation.
This addiction that war causes, this feeling of significance that it brings to those engaged in it, is only perpetuated by what Hedges calls “the myth of war.” When a society can demonize the enemy, make them seem less human, and can view themselves as the virtuous and their foes as evil, uniting to wage a war becomes a much simpler endeavor, and the war becomes mythic.

We must vanquish darkness and the good side must prevail. This is particularly true today, with the rise of the Islamic State and other Muslim terrorist groups who see us in the United States as infidels, hindering the uncorrupted Islamic society they wish to build. While stationed in Bahrain, I saw this anti-American sentiment firsthand, my fellow sailors receiving death threats from a select few hate-driven locals, including an incident where a plot involving an IED targeting our daily travel route was thwarted before, thankfully, anyone was

affected.
Ultimately, Hedges has penned an excellent recount of his experiences, a book that provides an abundance of insight into the grotesque and vivid reality of warfare. Taking readers to places few would ever venture to go, Hedges wants us to not fall victim to the myth of war, to not turn away from the reality of war, but to learn to recognize and understand war for what it is so that we as a species might not lose all semblance of what makes us human.