5

More than one hundred thousand dead in Iraq, mostly civilians, woops, dunno how that happened, we didn’t expect them to fight back, hey we were liberating them, we wanted them to be a democracy like Israel, why don’t they see Israel as a worthy model to emulate, for starters they’ll get our support, arm them to the teeth, friends for life, oil the wheels of international diplomacy, nudge wink, why are they so different from us, not so different, prefer to be left alone, think their way of life is superior, devil they know, fear of too much freedom maybe, think it warps the mind, maybe so, but we’re all animals, but they don’t think so, stop saying they, but they’re all religious out there, in Israel too, put a wall around them, leave them to wake up to themselves, and their gods, and their hatred of other gods, their sense of destiny, we’ll show them we’re chosen, one day, one day, our god makes us suffer for our greater glory, what do they think of the Chinese, of Maoris, what do they think, do they think? Infidels, lost to themselves, competing certainties, how did it come to this? Baggage of civilisation, epiphenomena of the forebrain. Rather here than there, we all say that, is that all there is to say? The superiority of science a matter of faith? Don’t think so. Lot of ink wasted on that one. Wasted? Don’t think so. Can’t think so. Reflections wasted on the unreflective maybe. Everybody reflects, after their fashion. Common ground to be found, just wish there was more. Work towards goodwill. Missionaries whose mission is not to convert, but to find common ground, extend the common ground. Fucking hard work, a square centimetre a lifetime, easily eroded. Even NGOs derided, more harm than good, goodwill not enough thank you very much, careful planning, danger of raising expectations, what has happened in Iraq, all the trouble caused by people wanting a bit more, better to keep them like mushrooms, the North Korean regime’s way, happily brainwashed, same process as religion methinks, are we happier, constantly measuring the lack, of love, of due affection and tenderness not to mention filthy lucre, at least we have our gardens, our little plots allocated, pigs in shit, see worlds in a plot of earth, my Cymbeline rose, quartered, my gingko biloba, keep it from growing too much, preparing to experiment with espaliering, quinces in particular, attractive gnarly tree, exquisite fruit, far from the madding here in the lucky country, best kept secret, those few who’re let in on it dying to get in, terror-stricken terrorists, kiddies overboard, all for want of paperwork, want of waiting in line thousands of miles away, if there are lines, but there are always lines, due process, Iran’s just like here, civilised, sympathetic to people who want to leave, North Korea okay maybe not. Have to have places to feel superior to, no we wouldn’t send them back to North Korea, unless they started letting them out, that would clearly show they could go back, to facilitate the return of civilisation, like us.