All that is real is in fact superficial and what we take for granted is in fact real wealth. We have all spent a life time trying to self fulfil or own prophecy that we had no intentions of actually keeping once it we got there. We are empty, almost hollow as we fill ourselves with these experiences that do nothing to guide us out of the darkness. I for one am guilty of leaning on those that I thought were my friends just like those left out to sea fighting ravenous sharks. Haven’t you ever wanted to open your eyes to what another person had to survive through just to put your hardship into perspective. If my heart breaks on land it is almost surely going to heal. Break your heart and giving your life to your country and it will break into a million ways never thought possibly you will always be haunted by the loss.

I think the loss of potential is something we should all learn from. There is no way y mind can begin to conceive that no life had a purpose. Even those forever lost at sea never to be returned had a story in their heart when they came to this Earth. It is us who fails to recognize their journey and to continue talking of their praises. Nobody ventures on into the World hoping to die it is only after you have been striped of all dignity that this belief begins to set in. It begins to be the running theme of the book. The spoils of war are in fact the honor these men thought they were bringing to their country. Each one knew that their was the likelihood that they were never going to go back on homeland and yet they stood their and fought. Why on Earth would so much human sacrifice be worth any amount of land or greed. This is no doubt what troubles me most. I used to be known by my anger over such trivial things. What has replaced my psyche now is more compassion and definite common sense.

I am growing confused on who I want to portray myself to the World. There is this growth towards our youth having the lack of a role model. Who are the hero’s that these young minds are meant to want to become. What leader’s do we have that can shine some light in this growing path of darkness. How long do we have to wait before we are graced with the presence of a leader who still possesses compassion and heart? What makes us so scared of loving each other that we have to focus on hate? Every time I begin to look up to somebody they never cease to surprise me with their wanton disregard for others. We have to keep our own wits about us in order to see this through but this doesn’t for any reason indicate that we should just roll over and play dead. Speak up to those that have wronged you and then be on your way. Those that can betray you have already betrayed others so there is no sense beating a dead horse anymore. Live the corpse for other’s to try and find some sort of sustenance on the bones or bury it for it never to be bothered again.

Have you heard of a place called Ofuna? Me neither. This place was created to haunt our nightmares and poison our dreams. This is where the most heinous acts of torture were performed against unregistered POW’s in Japan. They were refused basic rights and freedoms and were not allowed to register with Red Cross. Not registering with Red Cross meant that their families didn’t know they were alive (nor did the army) and the only care packages to enter the compound were brought from other camps. It was made abundantly clear that the basic rights that they thought they had they had none. That they weren’t allowed to speak, look up or acknowledge anybody other than the guard in their presence. Nobody other than the those deemed necessary knew of this camps existence. It was meant to gather intelligence against their foes so they can win the war. In fact their acts were so depraved that their was a standing order to kill all POW’s at any sign of rescue and kill them all if the war was lost. This is where my eyes are opened to the value of basic human compassion and dignity.

We can see it in the eyes of animals that are rescued from their violent keepers. Where once a frightened look keeps others at bay eventually a trust can hopefully be established. There is hope once the abuse stops and the victim has been saved. Without hope though where does one go? I can’t help but try to visualize this time of life for these men. My life is easy but for them….I can’t read this book fast enough trying to get to the end of their abuse. The sadistic laughs as they twist off a soldiers foot only to have them unnecessary amputate the whole leg while he was still awake. There is so much talk how a person of white race can’t be the subject of racism. In fact the whole internet gets heated by it. I would like to visit the definition at this time. Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized. So in these camps their is racism and it is directly affecting white American so once again the ignorant card only applies to those affected right now. It has to go all ways in order for this to work. You have to look at a man for who he is and what made him this way. Yes most Americans love their firearms but they earned this right to obtain them. Throw a stone into a group of Republicans and you will for sure hit a man or woman that has been affected by racism. Just because it has happened on our shores doesn’t mean the nightmare hasn’t continued.

When these men are brought to the very brinks of insanity hoping for death but praying for life something changes inside of them. They don’t want to hate on those who are different then them but it is hard to not see the killers eyes of your ancestors when in fact they are the same eyes. How do you feel like the lives of your ancestors are being honored when we are told to forgive and forget? I want to forgive those that had a heavy hand to play in the greatest historical sins of mankind but I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to forget what evil left in the wrong hands can do. I don’t want to forget the children and babies who were tortured for what they said was medical or scientific advancement only to have no advancement ever made. We can’t forget this shift in energy that threatened to tend the world as we know it. Maybe the end is here because we are no closer to becoming friends. I wonder if these people know that there is greater power in unity then there will ever be in division. We continue to surround ourselves with so much ignorance and allow ourselves to lend our ears and hearts to some people that have done nothing but look for errors in our ways and fixate on them too. Every race, every culture, every country has been the subject of racism and torture. Every color of the rainbow was denied basic rights and freedoms based on the color of the skin during different times in history. There is so much outcry about how these slaves were treated but what about the Jewish Germans who did nothing more than wake up that morning. I am sure if given the chance to enter into slavery they would have to preserve their family and bloodline. They were denied opportunities because of who one person dictated they were. POWs from all over the World were beaten, tortured, gassed in a desperate attempt to eliminate the enemy but the true enemy was the beast that lay within. The beast that makes you believe that your existence is far superior. That beast that will do anything to win.