I love that O'Brien brings in his daughter to this story. Sometimes you need the innocent child perspective in life.
"The war was as remote to her as cavemen and dinosaurs.
One morning in Saigon she'd asked what it was all about. "This whole war," said said, "why was everybody so mad at everybody else?" [page 175]
The truth and innocence that comes out of a blunt child's mouth is astounding. Seriously, why was everybody so mad at everybody else? If only it was that easy to pinpoint the time that things began to go downhill.
It's impossible to make everyone happy. I think that's why wars begin. Someone is so unhappy with what is going on that they have to let the world know about it. Oh, that and world domination [good luck with that].
I wish adults could wake up and look at life through a child's eyes. They see everything as happy and beautiful, and who wouldn't want to see life like that? I think it would do people good to take a happier perspective on life. Then maybe they wouldn't be so regretful about their lives.
"The war was as remote to her as cavemen and dinosaurs.
One morning in Saigon she'd asked what it was all about. "This whole war," said said, "why was everybody so mad at everybody else?" [page 175]
The truth and innocence that comes out of a blunt child's mouth is astounding. Seriously, why was everybody so mad at everybody else? If only it was that easy to pinpoint the time that things began to go downhill.
It's impossible to make everyone happy. I think that's why wars begin. Someone is so unhappy with what is going on that they have to let the world know about it. Oh, that and world domination [good luck with that].
I wish adults could wake up and look at life through a child's eyes. They see everything as happy and beautiful, and who wouldn't want to see life like that? I think it would do people good to take a happier perspective on life. Then maybe they wouldn't be so regretful about their lives.
July 7, 2010 at 10:34 PM
the child's perspective was definitely a fresh change