OPINION: War— A Requiem for Hedonism
Marshall S. Swanson 
LVIV, UKRAINE - "War is a requiem for hedonism, and peace a reprieve from inevitable destruction."
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The greed of propsperity discourages selfless sacrifice, and encourages hubris and ego over humility— a humility so often cast aside in favor of an arrogant ignorance of mortality.
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As I sat in a bunker last week, the wailing sound of air raid sirens ricocheted their haunting melody through the depths of every human soul in their midst. Bombs and artillery fire continued to echo far and wide across Ukraine. But only one need be dropped nearby to vaporize every fragile morsel of human flesh proximate to its target.
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Like a punch in the face or a car accident or a heart attack, the recipients of an airstrike wake up dead, and that’s the end— so instantaneously that a consultation with the target need not be entertained.
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Death comes to everyone. Some just choose war as the means by which to achieve it:
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“I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air—“
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Many fear death. Many fear life. A few fear both.
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But according to Freud, a real fear of death is impossible. We cannot be afraid of something we haven’t experienced. Paradoxically, fear of life can be the only reason for a fear of death.
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We either accept death, or we do not. And if we do not, something is rotten on the inside— and we cannot truly even accept life— whether due to a childhood trauma or anything afflicting our spirit in adulthood.
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At times, life is bliss for all, pain for some, and our manner of departure can be all of the above.
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We Americans, unaccustomed to conflict, famine, or hardship in our own streets, often ignore mortality— like the label on the bottom of a pack of cigarettes. It doesn’t exist in our mind until we cough up blood or get a lump in our throat or a lung requires removal.
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Our hedonistic ways serve as scapegoats to distract from our destiny— a destiny purposeless forms of narcissism so often seek to ignore.
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The Kardashians. Pornography. Drug addiction. America’s pop culture obsession. Reality TV. Onlyfans. They all diminish the human spirit by seeking constant pleasure, instantaneous gratification — whether achievable or not — nihilistically starving the human soul of meaning— no matter the profit or the loss associated with each.
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For the mature adult male, unencumbered by malignant narcissism, life is like a concert. If the orchestra plays out of sync, you drop the curtains. But if the tune captivates your ears, however bereft of happiness a melody may be, man’s heart and soul long to hear it to completion.
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In conflict, not complacency, comes meaning— but only if those conflicts migrate the soul toward the province of purpose. And without meaning, the curtains should and must come down.
