A SimWar Mosaic

A description of a conflict is not the conflict itself but a simulation or retelling of it. And not all conflicts escalate into physical, bloody war, but there are similarities. For example, they both have rules of engagement, strategy, and tactics used to defeat the opponent.

These poems about various conflicts comprise a collection, or mosaic, of simulated wars, hence the title. Because it is impossible to enumerate the infinite number of conflicts possible, this is but a sample that I have either witnessed or thought about. For example, I can’t write about prison or blood-and-guts war from personal experience. I can only write what I think about them.

Conflict by itself has no morality associated with it. One’s viewpoint does. For example, if two people want the same limited quantity resource, either they cooperate and share it, or they deadlock and fight for it, winner take all. The morality of that conflict depends on one’s point of view, not the conflict itself. Is “lying” a bad thing? Is “hypocrisy”? Again, that depends on one’s point of view. However, one would think we could agree on some basic courtesies.

Conflicts are inevitable in our lives, and how we learn to deal with them can test our characters. To paraphrase Sun Tzu in “The Art of War” (chapter 3 item 18), to be consistently victorious in battle, you must know both yourself and your enemy. In “A SimWar Mosaic”, sometimes the victory is an acknowledgement of unresolvable conflict dynamics and how each side recognizes themselves in it. "The Corinthian Label" starts this collection by holding a mirror to the flames of political and religious hypocrisy.