Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. Essays

Thoughts on Freedom and War

I wake this morning, again thinking about the topic that is on the tip of all tongues: the war and our way of life in America. For me, it is time to personally put "the war" in that pocket of the mind where current events exist but do not persist. It is time to return to the search for beauty and some understanding of visual truth. It is time to return to what my eyes see and my body does. I have started the process by practicing Tai Chi three times a day. The essence of Tai Chi is to get in harmony with the forces of the universe, not the human fluctuations in that universe. It is about rooting oneself, tension and relaxation. Now is a time to relax and watch. There are, as my Georgian friends have taught me, things in the world that need more attention than current events that I have no control over. It is time to make sure that our system, call it a republic or democracy, works in a personal way. It is time to do what I did up in the Georgian mountains when I learned about 9/11. I made a decision to advance the freedom that I was given by my system of government in the field of endeavor that I decided to pursue: art and the search for meaning in color, tension (thought) and relaxation (freedom or adjustment to the universe).

Now, will I watch closely what ways certain extreme leaders are trying to change our system of government? Yes, that is a danger that goes without saying. Only those with power within our system can change the fabric of the "republic", only those politicians (not “statesmen”) who place personal power over our system are a danger to our system. Saddam Hussein and others can kill our citizens (and should be stopped) but in so doing their “crimes against humanity” strengthen our resolve to continue to be a "free nation". Look at how this nation pulled together after 9/11. That is not saying that the death of any citizen is a good thing but good does come from adversity in this nation. At one time, 70% of our citizens supported "our president" and "the war". The danger for the long run is that our leaders can affect our personal freedom and our system of insuring it. The present administration does not listen to a majority of the world's people who are opposed to this particular war. A statesman would listen and consider; a politician would not. . With recent actions, I will watch closely how our system adjusts to offset a destructive doctrine. Presidents in the past have been controlled by the system, even Nixon and Reagan (and Clinton in his sexual life and his truth to this nation about it) who tried to go outside the system to get their vision of our system implanted. And this is not a Republican or Democrat thing. Eisenhower was a force to strengthen our system as were other presidents. The system shaped the president in most cases.

I do think that this administration has good men and women around him who might control some extreme actions (the Senate has started that action with reducing the amount of the tax cuts), cutting the debt for tax cuts for the nation from $700 billion to $350 billion and we will see how this plays out when the Senate meets with the House representatives to compromise). But I, as a voting citizen, will also watch. As an American, the time is always right to question the actions of our elected representatives. We live in a republic and a democracy. I do not though have to accept actions that I think will damage the system. Time will prove whether this administration’s decision to go to war at this moment in history is for the good of America or the pursuit of a son trying to undo the mistakes of the father. And in turn, trying to manipulate the system so that his personal ends are met, not the goals of the democracy (sorry, "republic"). The process of war must run its course. The time is not right to loudly question in the middle of a war, but that will not stop me from questioning (or defending those who question) and observing the process as it affects our system. And I thank anyone for materials that will help me to define the system more closely, to strengthen my thoughts as I pursue daily freedoms. Our system works when there is a dialogue of difference.

And what will I do while watching and waiting? Create something new that uses the system that I have been given, explore color and its interaction more deeply, more fully, and continue to question through my writing. What else? Enjoy the new grandson when he comes in June. Do as my Georgian friends told me to do, "Sing and dance" but watch. Questioning is the essence of our system. It is how it grows. There is always the chance that this administration is right. I doubt it now but there is a chance.

And with a chance, there is a chance too for peace and understanding, inside our own system of government and outside on this shrinking globe.