The Age of Nothing - Inked

I actually plan on finishing this up as a fully rendered graphite work as I did with a couple of my works before, but I had it sketched out so I scanned it in, bluelined the whole thing as an overlay, printed the copy out and inked it out and then took it in again as a black & white.

I was sitting here one morning just before I headed out to work and thought about this discussion a friend of mine and I had, and where I believe the discussion was that we live in an "Age of Nothing." So much is true considering that there really isn't much happening except what we hear on the news of some pop culture fad that involves Paris Hilton or some overnatured exuberance of human being that shouldn't have been praised so highly but now I'm rambling.

The point was that we live in an age where basically nothing is happening. Greater times in history occurred in great times of crisis such as The World Wars, The Revolutionary War or even Civil War-- ancient times predecessing even those and so much more. There is no time of adventure or wonder, and for what parts of the world aren't discovered are cataloged in even more to scientific measure and logged as discoveries made, unseen by everyone else, an uninteresting all the same.

Then I sat there on morning and thought about the guys overseas fighting a war many believe is one that shouldn't be fought or started in the first place. Why are we really there? Who are we really fighting? Do we really have to fight them? These aren't my questions-- they're inquisitive statements of emphasis of what people have really forgotten what it's all about.

I'm not here to lecture anyone but the fact alone is that there are soldiers out there doing what they're told for their country and that we should respect them solely on the demand that they're being told what to do, not because they're 'machines' or because they have no choice-- but that most of them deliberately chose to go into the armed forces for that cause... who are we to question their actions if they weren't regarding the decision made?

I was raised as a kid born into a military family & life. I've known no other life and I regard the armed forces and all who serve in it as some of the most noble, hardworking and vigilant people of our country's only patriotism. Yet because they're told to do something by the government, which people regard as evil to begin with, source their aggression and bias opinions against them as well. An unfair settlement if I've ever seen one and it gets no better. Again, I apologize that I'm just rambling on, but I do want to leave behind how I would feel if I was placed into that situation, in the likes of a soldier through the guise of another; a random, unnamed soldier:

Afghanistan
August 15th, 2013
1800 Hours

"The Age of Nothing"

“I had a friend once tell me that we live in ‘The Age of Nothing’; in likes to comparison of series of events occurring in a large scale that it affects the whole world. In the past there were the World Wars, the Revolutionary War, Civil War, to more ancient times of Alexander the Great, Solomon or even Roman Imperialism. In fantasy there was Tolkien’s epic sized world of the Rings, and that a great war over these rings was waged to bring peace over the chaotic darkness that was coming to consume the world of all its purity and sake. My friend almost let me believe that too, that we are living now in an Age of Nothing because I truly do not see that kind of epic-reality… exactly. There is no single side enemy for everyone to let their hatred on, no Hitler of the Nazi Regime, no Sauron the Dark Lord of Mordor, no great evil to single out… but there is a danger out there nonetheless.

As I sit here in a foxhole thinking about the countless lives lost on the streets from recklessness and barbaric bloodshed, I begin to question myself about just why I decided to sign up for this chicken shit outfit. When I signed up I had that typical young man’s glory renegading in his mind. The fight for honor, for justice, for liberty and all the things that make my country stand out for all it believes in, freely and peacefully. Yet I discover now that those primaries truly exist because it is reinforced by the pillars which are the backs of sacrificing warriors who do not refuse to believe evil does not exist, but refute to avoid the fact it isn’t there. This is why people do things despite what their primary intentions areâ€"to discover the truth, being brave enough to step into that unknown void, whatever its dangers may consequence. I only wish I knew what I was going to experience ahead of time before they sent me out here.

Now I fight a multi-headed hydra, and it gets no better it seems as every time we annihilate some terrorist faction, three, five, hell, scores of other groups come up and our sources were misled to believe this would be it… it’s solely based on faith we believe we’re doing some good and though I know this may be a fight that will never end, somewhere, deep inside my soul and heart I hear a voice saying this will be it. Despite the friends in arms, the comrades lost in battle, I’ve seen on the battlefield lose their arms, legs, hopes and dreams of returning home normally. I still believe what I’m doing is for a greater cause and that we cannot give up, at lease I know I won’t, not for my country. It just doesn’t get any better seeing the guy you shared a barracks room with, no farther than two bed frames away a few weeks ago, see his arm amputated and still sitting around waiting for orders to send him back.

I believe there are explosions outside but I can’t tell anymore with the throbbing pulse banging in my head from all the other things that concern me. How is my family doing? Is my little sister growing up to be the fine young woman I refuse to believe she’ll become because in my eyes she will always be my little sister? My friends who decided not to join up, are they doing alright and besides all news reports faced of what the Democrats think, do they believe I’m doing some good for the world, if not our country? My fiancée, who I hope to marry one day once I get out of here, is she still waiting? Hoping I’d return or that orders would come in to send me home, despite the fact I’ve been over here to see this all since deployment? I was 18 when I joined in… I’m 22 years now… and have not been given a single word of hope or chance that I’d be returning anytime soon.

Again, there is no single-side enemy to point a finger at except a name: Terrorist. The name alone is plural despite its negated â€"s affix and yet the act of a terrorist happens anywhere, anytime, from anyone. So thinking back on what my friend said… The Age of Nothing… I’m glad at least one of us believes it, and like I said, I almost did too… four years ago. Orders just came in, or rather, my NCO came in, screaming at me, saying we have to withdraw to a more advantageous positionâ€"in reality that means we were outsmarted of the ground we decided to hold down and have to run back with our tails inbetween our legs… I hope the news reporters are ready to tell names of the guys we’re going to lose this time… because one of us is going down from this tactical withdrawal. In a way, I’m hoping one of them will be me… at least I’d be able to go back home for my friends and family to see me. Selfish as it seems, that part which speaks out freedom and liberty for all through me also whispers DOA as a ticket home…


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Why 2013? Because I doubt this war on terrorism is going to end anytime soon, that and I wanted an excuse to draw the next line of firearms that are going to be issued to the Armed Forces in the next decade or so, the XM8 Series Weapon System. If it does, the reality is that there may still be dispositions and installments of security force to outlook this never ending act of terrorism, and despite this storytelling to be a bit macabre, it's also an unsettling reality probably more light-hearted than I could imagine it, but imagine it as best as I could. I'm not soldier... but I've heard enough stories, knew enough people, and lived in a military community long enough to consider the realities.