For those wanting a visual depiction of the Xenophon story, click on the picture of the map to go to the actual Google Map.

~The blue markers represent where the mercenaries originated from.

~~Example: “4000 hoplites under Xenias the Arcadian“ would be marked by a marker on the province of Arcadia, Greece, etc.

~The red territory marks the extent of the Persian Empire during the time of the march; the Greeks would have to make it to the Black Sea to sail their way to Greece.

~The blue line….is well…yeah, the line they marched on.

~The fire represents where the battle of Cunaxa took place and all that jazz. There aren’t many details outside of the book of Anabasis; click on the link to check it out via Project Gutenburg!

All the high-level theory about the nature of counterinsurgency can be found online if you’re actively looking. And we have some great embedded reporters with valuable dispatches.

But I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that a majority of Americans are resisting the call to inform themselves. Because information is difficult to understand, to process, to create. Just like with sports and entertainment, they’re searching to TV media experts for the answers in five minutes or less, so they can simplify their knowledge of the region to a few soundbytes and lapel pins and get back to watching Dancing With the Stars.

We can blame the politicians and old media all we like for starting this war, but we enabled them to go through with it in our jingoistic rah-rah. While they bear plenty of responsibility for their own positions, and for trying their best to shut us out, we have allowed ourselves to be blinded by partisan squabbles instead of focusing on the issues that matter. Our soldiers are still there, and as much as some countries and detractors would like to believe that it should just be treated as another job, that they are pawns of American imperialism, our ignorance of their suffering is painful.

We know several things. Saddam dead. We torture too much. Iraq planning bungled. Taliban resurgent. We don’t try to explore much behind it, just hope people can bring it to a close so we can get back to peacetime. Videogames and bad reality TV and parties. Lots and lots of parties. Ignorance is bliss and liquor is quicker.

But things will never return to the way they were. They will only change and dissolve and then evolve into something else.

We are too busy procrastinating away the precious time that we have on things that don’t matter (myself included) that we’re missing the bigger picture of how we can better inform ourselves and contribute to the conflict of our generation. And this war is only one step in thinking about the broader challenges ahead: How can I find ways to make this world better? And what can I do to delve into the deeper questions?