As tempers flare, fire and fury seem inevitable.
In early August, the ever-so-subtle President Donald Trump delivered a clear proclamation of intent regarding the nuclear-armed nation of North Korea.
“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Trump said. “They will be met with fire and fury, the likes of which the world has never seen.”
I don’t exactly know how I feel about the president’s “fire and fury” comments if I’m being completely honest. I find myself filled with inner-conflict when I try to decipher my opinion.
Now, I am not saying North Korea doesn’t deserve to be put in check, however, the rhetoric which Trump used to deliver his message makes me feel a bit uneasy. The repercussions of such a war frightens me. What scares me the most, however, is my gut feeling that a volatile confrontation cannot be avoided.
I’m uneasy because the rhetoric used by President Trump is so uncommon for a person of such stature, as leader of the United States. Using such words, words that are used to demonstrate our unmatched military power, disintegrates the option of diplomacy. It is the socio-political equivalent of puffing out our chests in a bravado filled attempt to start a fight.
President Trump doesn’t seem to exemplify the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick,” by Theodore Roosevelt.
Although, it is ignorant to believe for a moment that a good heart-to-heart chat with Kim Jong-un could abolish the adversity that has risen between our countries since the ‘50s. The hatred for Americans felt by North Koreans has been threaded into the very fabric of their culture, generation after generation. The same can be said for the fear, loyalty and obedience to their leader that a dictatorship demands.
For the sake of truth and my own unbiased integrity, it would be unfair for me to say North Koreas hatred for us is completely unjust.
Putting aside the tremendous amount of unthinkable atrocities North Korea has committed against its citizens for just a moment, one must take a look at why they harbor such intense rage for the United States.
I’m willing to bet that much of it began sometime during the Korean War when a large portion of the nation’s population was eradicated.
I don’t like being the one to be the one to let the cat out of the bag, but North Korea doesn’t hate America just because it’s a free country. They don’t hate Americans for their physical differences. They don’t hate America simply for being America. If that comes off as hard to believe, read a history book.
With that said, the hostility and unrelenting extremist attitude of North Korea, along with its gradual rise to nuclear superstardom and a provocative United States, makes the hair on my neck stand on edge. I’m nervous about the fallout, but I feel there is no avoiding the collision.
When it comes right down to it, my loyalty always stands with America, especially against opposition so filled with pure hatred.
I believe in America’s virtues, but I don’t believe in a nuclear option.
I want peace, but I can clearly see a war fast approaching. I hope it’s becoming easier to see why I’m conflicted.
What’s next is unclear, I just hope it’s not nuclear.
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected]