Afghanistan v. British Virgin Islands

Flying eastward a few thousand feet above the open ocean on a small two propellered plane from Puerto Rico to Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, I sat in the copilot seat and spoke with the pilot, as I am want to do. Much to my surprise and counter to the prejudice I too easily form against pilots, he showed a depth of intelligence and life experience that opened my mind to being back in the United States compared to the penultimate five months in Kabul. First, the pilot, Jeff, explained to my inquiring mind why small puffs of clouds at about 1000 feet above the ocean often appear as lines, arrayed on invisible strings stretched straight to the northwest, a maritime abacus of variety sized white beads on deep blue. He also told me how he ended up in Puerto Rico as Chief Pilot for Fly BVI. Suffice it to say he went with the flow of his life, a delight to talk with him about his family, flying, sailing, and atmospherics of this particular place on Earth.

Another recent delight, my son Brennan provided the opportunity and suggestion to reread Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. Watching Siddhartha's spiral flow severing from father and mother, through youthful asceticism to discovering one's own path away from, at the same time toward, the Buddha, to a hedonistic wine-filled, profit-obsessed, business based existence to the requirement for a type of death to have new life in which Siddhartha discovers he has a son, new dimensions to love, new reasons to live simply, and new ways to cherish friends caused me to reflect on the message of Christ and God's deep, abiding, mysterious love that so often I have missed or renounced. Siddhartha also helped me understand better the title of a book and poem by Robert Bly, an American poet, What Have I Ever Lost by Dying? I think what I am trying to share with you is that letting go with dignity has become an important part of my life lately.

In my very humble opinion, it is time for the US to let go of Afghanistan with dignity. Or it is time for the characteristics of the presence we have in Afghanistan to change dramatically. As you well know, I have an astounding grasp on the obvious so please let me predict we will reduce our military relationship significantly and continue our economic development relationship to the degree that makes relative sense to us. Of course, opinion makers and mongers all have their view of what's wrong and right and in our political hype over the next few months we are sure to hear about a manichean world; God bless their views and voices and the tension of arguments that holds us together as Americans. I will not say we failed in Afghanistan. I will not say we succeeded, either. I will say that Afghanistan has changed and will continue to change. Enough Afghans understand enough about the US and the West that it is unlikely we will be attacked from there for the next 15-20 years. Of course, I could be wrong. We may not be able to see enough desired results of US power exercised in Afghanistan; outcome is uncertain. Get used to it.

Let me say something more about US power: super though it may be, limitless it is not. Each dollar we have spent and each life valiantly provided to the Afghan people sent a message to them that we as a people group care about them, about how we will fight and spend for their right to not be bullied. At the same time, though, the cost takes away from what that value or that life might have done elsewhere. What will be America's return on investment? Let me suggest respectfully that we won't have a reasonable understanding of that for another 10 or maybe 15 years. Security will move into Afghan hands, where it belongs, for only they have the capacity to secure what they value. Their equation for value differs significantly from ours which is why we use such frustrating words as "corruption," "freedom," and the concept of women's rights. We do not have the power to make them see the world as we do. Nor do we want that power. That power belongs to a world I want no part of: tyrannical, despotic, a kind of command and control environment that takes oxygen from the human spirit and puts a boot on the throat of innovation all in the name of that very scary word, "Security." Viz Syria. 

So what can we do? We, as Americans, can buy things so we own them and run them the way we do. That's what Jeff, the pilot, did. He bought the airline Fly BVI after owning a flight training business in Vermont and was able to institute American systems of maintenance, business sense, and customer service into the private airline industry in the Caribbean. Will it be profitable? Will it remain a going concern? Who knows. But he changed things from the way they were, apparently run shoddily with regard to safety, to the way things are now. Flying over the open ocean is a dangerous business. Am not saying that Americans need to go buying the world to secure it. Am saying that security comes from valuing and having the authority to run things accordingly. In Jeff's plane, I experienced security in a very small but important way. As I get older, am learning to live with how small I am, a drop in the ocean of this world. I can't change Afghanistan. All I can do is share a drink with you, hopefully soon. Thank you for your love, your prayers, your thoughts. Without you, my drop is dry. 

By the way, with the blessing, my drop will spend the next year, July thru June, in school at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, trying to figure out more of what that word "Security" means. Anytime you are passing thru Kansas City, please drop me a line and let's get together to acknowledge "Water water everywhere and lots of drops to drink." Happy Father's Day. Peace, love, water, and light, T