Too Close to War

What goes through the mind of persons who feel viscerally “against the war” (contre la guerre) when they discover that they are “too close to war” (tout contre la guerre)? Depending on how far they are from the bloody conflict, this awakening has different repercussions. But for such a person, the challenge always seems to grasp the consequences and actual implications of the present war, without abandoning their vision of a society free from this mortal—and historic—curse of humanity. Seemingly schizophrenic, yet essential to their mental health, this challenge presupposes an ability to look lucidly at the constraints of the present while cultivating visions of futures that have succeeded in overcoming the impasse of the imaginary war. But is this even possible? And if so, how?