Idealism: an Unsure Road

So many people have dissected the deceit supporting the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent incompetent execution of a "plan" (assuming that must have been something beyond all those who would great the invaders with flowers!).

Kanan Makiya has been a key figure during the pre-invasion period. He clearly was a supporter of the initiative to rid the nation of Hussein. He now struggles with the unexpected state of affairs.

I was struck by his dealing with the following question:
Would you now support the invasion if you knew what occurred?

In short, he answers the question, "yes", because the removal of Hussein was critical. He never expected such sectarian violence; he thought that the post-invasion period would look similar to South Africa. Clearly, the outcome disturbs him greatly. He continues to try to understand how his idealistic outlook became such a shattered reality.

One personal experience comes to mind, albeit in a relatively minor way.

During the time when I functioned as a Catholic priest, I was a major supporter to the reform associated with the Vatican Council. I was part of a future that seemed so positive for not only Catholics, but for the future of a more unified Christianity. Everything made so much more sense if the vision of the Vatican Council was adopted. The sooner, the better.

I experienced havoc in the few years I served. Without escalating the level of conflict (compared to Iraq, everything pales in comparison), it was period of division and antagonism. I referenced the experience as part of a revolution. But, I shared an idealism that the outcome would be worth the "struggle".

Clearly, my expectations were wrong. The anticipated changes were minimized by the strength of the bureaucracy. The powers of traditional views held sway. In the process, there were some unexpected outcomes.

Many of supporters of change ultimately gave up the battle, in one way or another. Many just stopped active participation, i.e., they found some niche to satisfy their religious aspirations without extending themselves further; others just dropped out.

The expectation that the next generation would learn a whole different set of beliefs, molded more in the biblical understanding the Jesus rather the specific words of a doctrine that was difficult to comprehend. It seems that the outcome was a loss of any understanding of Christianity. Many of the younger generations seem to be missing both the vision and the doctrine.

And, the bureaucracy seems more entrenched than ever.

The current state of affairs surely was unexpected. It may have been naive to expect such great changes. But, somewhat like Kanan Makiya who still claims that the removal of Hussein was worth even the bad outcomes, the loss of a more "unified" Catholic Church based on memorized belief formulas and blind adherence to authority seems worth the price of conflict. What was lost was not worth keeping.

Kanan Makiya ultimately thinks that the "order" lost was not worth keeping either. Having the likes of Hussein in power, a person who killed an estimated million Iraqis, needed to go, even if one of the unexpected outcomes would be the need of the American forces to provide a protectorate for the nation, comparable to the Philippines.