The art of war

                  I should start this discussion by saying that lately I have been thinking about something that just can’t be avoided. It might seem random but the thought that has been consuming me is the one about war. It takes many shapes and each of them has a different influence among people. The one I am most concerned of, and the one I will start debating on, is about the war between bodies, or in other words, if you can call it so, an ordinary war.

           The first thing that went through my mind is obviously a let’s say painting. I will start from the beginning. Imagine a white piece of paper and yourself, starting to create a landscape with a brush that can not only make your work of art realistic, but can also bring it to life. So choose your colors and choose them wisely! You know what they say; one wrong move and the whole thing can turn out into a complete disaster. So paint your lands and paint the strongest warriors you have in your mind, but don’t forget, it doesn’t matter how many you make, you need to keep on going. Got it so far?

       I am not sure that I completely follow.

       Neither do I, so keep on going!

      As I was saying, this need of repeatedly and non-stop duty will sooner or later exhaust me, thing I should stop from happening. But here comes the big question: “How?” How in the world can you keep your chin up when your colors are almost over and the only one remaining is the one that must not be used?

       Which is?

       Red!

      Red is the color that symbolizes the tragedy, the blood.  The war has begun!  Pain, sorrow? Yes, it’s everywhere. Everywhere I look I can see people suffering, my lands shivering and my people, oh my people are soon to be gone. The ones that used to keep their shields up are now crying for help; they are terrified, they are fading from my painting as I, with my own free will chose to erase them.

       So you mean…?

         Yes! That’s exactly what I mean! Once used red you can never go back. Tell me now, isn’t this the worst and most awful painting you would ever see?

        Truth be told, it wouldn’t. You see… I have been thinking about war these days as well. But not about the one you mentioned earlier but about one much deeper, let’s say a more spiritual one, the one between souls, or in other words, another war.

         So you can give this painting another meaning? Is that what you want to say?

        I believe I do, and I believe I can not only give it another meaning but also change your whole point of view when it comes to what’s truly an awful painting.

      If you don’t mind I will grab a piece of paper myself and start throwing colors all around it, not giving it a certain meaning. No landscapes, not trying to make it look realistic because this painting will bring itself to life. So I chose my colors and I chose them wisely.

       But…

       I know what they say!  So I’ll paint randomly the strongest feelings, not warriors, I have in my soul but no matter how hard I’ll try I will never be able to make something easily understood.

      All of us have at least once been through the battle of our soul against another. It’s that moment when you do not use your body but you follow your instincts, you do what you desire or what you are forced to do. Imagine that from my combination of colors you see with the eyes of your soul, love, and you can only use your sealed lips that can reach out to another pair alike, and can only hear with your deaf ears the silence while the screaming ache brings you pain.

       That still doesn’t mean that this soul to soul battle outmatches the ordinary war. In fact…

       Just wait and listen carefully! Imagine yourself being handcuffed and tied up not being able to say, hear, or see anything, but yet again you feel the urge of saying things, hearing things, and seeing things.  What happens then? You would pick the ordinary war which you’ve just spoken about, because you could use your strength, your judgment and the help of the others. Remember! The biggest difference between these two wars is the fact that you get help, I don’t! It’s one soul against another, and that; that brings a lot of pain!

       I believe you are right!

       Unfortunately, I don’t!

       Why don’t you agree?

       My turn to represent my vision on a piece of paper!  So wipe the paintings and let’s reset!  Have you ever wondered that it might be a third type of war? I’m going to turn your world upside down. Indeed there is another type, a combination between the ones you’ve both talked about, the one between bodies and souls or in other words, the last war.  No landscapes, no brushes, not anything at all. Just a wise choice of colors which combines two opposite, but yet again, two things that can’t be one without the other.  So I’ll let you paint this one for me with the bounding between your tough battles!  We all know that the body united with the soul makes one unique human being, but when one is not in complete harmony with the other…

       Then what?!

       Then, the body is the prison for the soul, and if the soul is imprisoned in the body then it blocks its evolution leading to a horrifying result! The dualism between the body and the soul is clearly evident, and due to this fact, the body is the subservient and the soul is in charge. However it is just that the soul is the master while the body is the obedient servant. 

     Enlighten me for a moment! I do want to understand it’s just…

      Don’t worry! It’s not as complicated as it seems. Hand me the brush and follow my lead with your imagination! The soul inspires what we should do, like the driver who decides where he wants to go. Oh, one more thing, here comes a new element, the mind or so that you can continue imaginating, the leader of the body. It takes the inspiration and finds a way to achieve the soul’s goal like a steering wheel.  The body performs what has to be done, like the car which takes the driver to his desired destination.  If the soul knows what do to in our interest and the body just obeys to commands, then it is pretty clear that most of the problems we meet in our lives can find their happy ending.

       So, if it is such a good balance between these two how can you say there is a war between them?  You’ve lost me as well…

       Look! The human being it’s a miraculous fusion of three polar opposites, the soul, the body and the mind, living in contradiction. But let me ask you something, what if the mind does misinterpret the souls directions, what if it doesn’t find the right way to reach the destination, the light at the end of the tunnel, the balance,  or in other words,  what would  the unskilled human do if he can’t drive the car?

       But that would mean…

     Yes, it means he will end up losing his way. One last thing, remember, the soul says what, the mind finds how and the body does it! So let’s combine the paintings as we agreed on. What do we see?

     The first shows the pure blood thirst, the ability of a group of individuals training for a huge battle, the supreme sacrifice, and the total involvement into a cause which has its result reaching out for the greater good …

       And the second?

       The second shows that in this kind of war there are involved feelings, disappointments, achievements and the incapability of using anything but your own soul as a weapon but not being able to have the body as a shield.

       What about the third?

      The third shows that in order to avoid a war, a human being will need to be at a full concentration rate so that he will not bring him or others the catastrophic outcome.

       So which one of these do you think is considered the worst war of them all?