Apocalypse Now

     Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola reminds us to do the most important task, that is to take the long difficult journey inward. Capt. Willard cannot function outside of war, so he is sent into the heart of Vietnam to deal with a rogue Colonel named Kurtz. This mission takes Willard through many phases of the war where he discovers more about himself. In the end Willard answers the ultimate question, how is he going to be while on earth.

     What if we all saw our lives as a journey to figure out what principles we are going to stand for in our lives. Our lives would be well spent. Too many people coast through life satisfied with their mediocrity. The great accomplishment of so many is to work at jobs that are killing them long enough to receive a pension. Once they reach the point of retirement, beaten down physically and mentally, the pensioners spend their time watching television and buying things. The  Pensioners should watch Apocalypse Now while they are plopped down in front of their televisions, at least then they will be exercising their minds.

    One scene in Apocalypse Now shows Willard at a bridge that the Vietnamese and American soldiers are fighting for. Willard finds these African – American soldier on the front lines. He asks them where is your commanding officer. One of the soldiers answers ain’t you our commanding officer.

    This scene makes me wonder what is happening on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have been watching as well as listening to alternative media and according to them, the picture is not nice at all. On the bases corporations are over charging soldiers for services. On the battle field American soldiers do not know who is in charge of which village, town or province that sits away from their base of command. Sometimes American soldiers are guarding poppy fields used to make heroine that makes it back to their neighborhoods here in the states to destroy their neighbors. Bombs are every where. The child that our soldiers share candy with today could plant an explosive devise next week. Meanwhile we are no safer here in the states because the money spent on the war is draining our economy. This drain is causing enough stress that we are committing violent acts on each other for money, or a sense of security. I wonder why we keep allowing leaders to kill our family members for the sakes of their own egos.