“Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.”
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
When the United States entered "The War" the leaders of our country were wise to know the lesser evil. Though millions of men, women and children were lost in the war, many more are free and the world is surely a better place today as a result of the defeat of Hilter's Germany, Emperor Hirohito's Japan, and Mussolini's Italy in World War II.
World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. Over 60 million people were killed, (though there are estimates today up to 80 million) which was over 2.5% of the world population. It is staggering to think of the human losses in "The War." (There is a table of deaths by country and very good information on casualties on Wikipedia.)
The tragic loss of human life as a result of "The War" in comparison to today's population, would be equal to literally wiping out all human life in the states of California, Texas and New York. It is unfathomable!
The "Letters to Mary" however, would not exist had there been no war.
It was "The War" that brought Gwen and Bill and Henri and Mary together while spinning millions of other lives apart. It is hard to see through the horrors of war, and see the goodness of war, but indeed there is, though it may be diminished by the scale of tragedies.
It is hard for a human to even imagine the future paths of our lives, and yet so very easy to look back. We do not know and can not foresee our own fates and it is probably best that way! One thing for sure, one day our lives on this earth will end!
And this blog of "Letters to Mary" has also come to an end...
As we are approaching the 70th anniversary this June 6, 2014, of the landing of allied forces on the the beaches of Normandy France, the "Greatest Generation" is passing on and all but gone.
Soon all their voices will be silent. Their lives committed to papers only.
My hope for humanity would be from the lessons of "The War" that we not forget the evil forces of man that walk beside us and that we always know how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and that we will be given the wisdom of choosing the lesser evil.
It is not possible to say why these letters survived or why I felt compelled to commit them to this blog....only that they did and I did.
In closing and to share a few poignant quotes of relevance from Marcus Tullius Cicero
“The life given us, by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.”
"The only excuse for war is that we may live in peace unharmed."
“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”
(This quote was supplied by my sister Carol Ann Garner Clements and led me to search for more closing quotes that had relevance to the end of this post and project)
“The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another's heart.”
“History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquities. ”
“The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero~ Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist.
And now I have to get on with my life! I hope those who followed along enjoyed the journey!
I am thankful to be the daughter of an American Soldier and his English bride.
Karen Lynne Garner Martin Messick
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