And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and.Advent meditations on war, American decline, and the faint music of hope.
And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song. Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow / Jean Baptiste Calkin
This past weekend brought the first Sunday in Advent. Liturgically, Advent is not part of the Christmas Season, which begins on Christmas Eve. Quite the contrary, it’s a time for vigilance rather than joy, based on the belief that something or Someone wonderful is coming to uplift men’s souls. But in the corporeal world, the Christmas Season has already begun, with decorations everywhere, nonstop cable Christmas movies, and Yuletide music all around. The last category gave me an idea.
There may not be Peace on Earth right now, but there are more peaceful spots than last year.
All my life, I’ve heard the most common cliché of the season — Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. This is a secularized misrepresentation of the actual Luke Gospel line, Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to people of good will (Luke 2:14). Specifically, men in general shouldn’t get a blanket best wishes — only good men and women. However, I dismissed the phrase for a long time, aware that on the Tolstoyan scale, War far exceeded Peace on Earth.
I was too young to fight in Vietnam, but a couple of older kids in my orbit were scared to — and of — death in 1972. I remember one friend looking ashen when ordered to report to the draft board with a low lottery number. He came back beaming. “I don’t have to go,” he said. “That’s great, Jerry,” I said. “How come?” “I told them I was allergic.” “Allergic to what?” I asked.
