Hearts and Minds

In film class this morning we watched a documentary on the Vietnam War entitled HEARTS AND MINDS. I had heard a few things about this documentary, so I expected to see some painful scenes. I was prepared for the shots of bombings, soldiers, chaos, and other typical war shots.

What I was NOT prepared for was the juxtaposition of the 2 worlds. The film did an amazing job of showing the two parallel but separate worlds: The glorified war in America and the gruesome reality in Vietnam. An interview of an air force pilot who said that he dropped bombs because he enjoyed it was followed by shots of the destruction of bomb and the havoc it wrecked on the simple village folk. A shot of the survivors of a bombing wandering around the rubble that used to be their homes and wailing in anguish for their lost loved ones was followed by a shot of an American man in a lush, peaceful park saying "Well you see, for the Oriental, life is cheap". I wanted to throw up.

There were shots of people mourning and crying for their lost family and friends. A father cried hysterically, "They killed my 8 year old daughter and my 3 year old son!" He pointed to a pile of rubble. "That is where she died. She was feeding the pigs. The pigs...they're alive. She...she is dead. She was so sweet. They killed her. Nixon killed my daughter!" He pointed offscreen. "You see that shirt? That was my daughter's shirt. The shirt that she will never wear again. Take that to America! Show them the shirt that my daughter will never wear again!"

A young boy clung to a photograph of his father and sobbed uncontrollably. His crying was inconsolable because his dad was gone, and his sobs were heartrending. This was a real boy who would never see his dad again. His cries tore at me. I cried.

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For the rest of the morning I was haunted by the intimate pain I had experienced, and a song kept playing in my head: Prayer of the Children. I sang this song many years ago in an A Cappella Choir, but I still remember it clearly. The cries of so many helpless people have been tugging at my heart all day...

Please listen to this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTZFIcqnQMg&feature=related

Prayer of the Children

"Can you hear the prayer of the children?
On bended knee, in the shadow of an unknown room
Empty eyes with no more tears to cry
Turning heavenward toward the light

Crying Jesus, help me
To see the morning light-of one more day
But if I should die before I wake,
I pray my soul to take

Can you feel the hearts of the children?
Aching for home, for something of their very own
Reaching hands, with nothing to hold on to,
But hope for a better day a better day

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the love again in my own land
But if unknown roads lead away from home,
Give me loving arms, away from harm

Can you hear the voice of the children?
Softly pleading for silence in a shattered world?
Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate,
Blood of the innocent on their hands

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the sun again upon my face,
For when darkness clears I know you're near,
Bringing peace again

Dali cujete sve djecje molitive?

Can you hear the prayer of the children?"