Under The Olive Tree

Manifestations of the Warfare

Tonight I saw some images of people in struggle - anguish - despair - you know - “the regular”.

Some of these folks were tattooed and pierced, their style of dress was confrontational, they wore their hair (or absence of it) in an “in your face” manner.

They were in a war that they didn’t choose, fighting forces that they couldn’t see and that they didn’t understand. Many were adrift with no anchor - no rock to stand on - no answer to the struggles that they faced every day.

As I watched these images - I was struck by the fact that so much of what I was seeing in them were manifestations of the warfare. The shock, the lashes, the confusion, the isolation, the stench of the battlefield, waking up and facing the darkness and the terror for another day, the gaunt faces of those immersed in war.

The warfare has emerged into the open air - it has become the fabric of our lives - there is no place to hide.

The manifestations of the warfare are being burned into our skin.

Look around. Take the Suicide Girls for an example. Are we really redefining beauty? Is this beautiful?

I am not going to suggest that you look for examples of the Suicide Girls - they just happened to be featured on prime time television, and a quick Google search will find you plenty of images - but these creatures are an example of more extreme tatooing and piercing - and they are being lauded and given a lot of attention.