War, Peace, and Justice Symposium

What is the impact of war on our society?

The War, Peace, and Justice Symposium will explore the vast impact of war, as well as avenues of peace and justice, via public dialogue and the arts.
Such shared contemplation builds planks in the interpersonal bridge between the civilian and military communities so that, together, we can build a better nation. 

Carlisle, a community of conscience, home to Dickinson College, the Army War College, a thriving historical society, a vibrant theater, and Penn State Dickinson School of Law, is a uniquely qualified location for this endeavor.

In addition to public discussion, the humanities are a key component to this symposium, as an attempt to understand who and what we are. Ethics cannot live without the humanities as its language. Violence and conflict can be known through science, but understood through the humanities.

To wit: below, two protagonists of The Iliad, the goddess Athena and the Trojan warrior Hector, weigh the timeless questions of the consequences of war.
Athena, champion of the Greeks, mourns all of the dead, Trojan and Greek alike, pondering each by name, as etched into the stone tablet by her side.
Hector prepares for battle to defend his homeland, first sharing a tender goodbye with his wife, Andromache. Poet John Livecchi’s fictive rendering of their final conversation illuminates the breadth of the tragedy of war: it affects not only those who put on the uniform, but beloved family, friends, and nation, extending its arc far into the future.

Mourning Athena, Marble Relief, Acropolis Museum, Athens, circa 470 BC.

Athena, Greek mythological goddess of wisdom
and war, is featured in Homer’s Iliad as the
warrior-defender, protector of civilized life
and of artisan activities.

Hector to Andromache

I dreamt again of dry leaves rustling
Of winds howling off the shore
Carrying them away in great gusts
Till all were carried away.

It will be tomorrow, I think
Our final parting. Love for you
Tells me dishonor would be a small
Price for another moment together.

If we could but disappear,
I’d gladly surrender pride and glory
To keep you by my side,
My bride, my very life.

But we both know I must fall.
My men, my city, my family, even you
Demand I stand firm
Leaving you, our child,
Everyone I love to
Who knows what calamities.

My death, I fear, will be the easiest,
Quick as an eye’s blink,
And I’ll be spared knowing
What will follow.

Will the Greeks hold their honor?
Or will blood flow
like a river
With nothing sacred
And no one spared?

Since the gods shield us
From knowing the end,
Let my last glimpse of you  Be your sweet smile.

Let's recall tender words we shared,
Give thanks for time together
For laughter and tears
And every moment
Life gave.

If she has nothing for us,
Let’s not berate her,
For what she gave was
All we needed to sustain us.

Andromache to Hector

No, my love, I won’t scold her, or you.
The trap we face
And what our end will be
Is all too clear.

And yes, I’ll smile for you.
But once you’re gone,
My heart will turn to something
More unyielding
Than the battle-hardened Greeks.

You say the gods spare us
Knowing all there is to come
But haven’t they shown us
Enough of war
To already hear the terrorized screams
And cries of despair that must follow?

And, as the gods calmly gaze,
The victors will ensure
Troy’s women more cause to weep
Than any man or boy who died.

For we will be their slaves
Forced to bear every humiliation
Hoping each breath will be our last.

Livecchi, John, Retellings: Homer's Characters Speak in Our Time, (c) 2018.
Listen to poet John Livecchi read his above poems here.

Hector and Andromache exist in every age. Their dilemma echoes across time: in war, loyalty to family, to nation, and to conscience collide.
Our first commander in chief expressed it thus:

Please join us in examining the ramifications of war, and imagining peace and justice, on this site and at the symposium.