My Neighbor's War

by Antiquarian

Why We Fight - A Note from the Author

Though the exact number of lives taken by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust will never be known, their record-keeping was scrupulous enough for us to make a fair estimate. Upwards of 17 million people were systematically murdered in ghettos, labor camps, and death camps, among them over 6 million Jews.

Since World War II, there have been over a dozen large-scale genocides perpetrated by both terror organizations and governments, some of the latter being sitting members of the UN. Of all these many acts of unspeakable evil, the UN establishment has not meaningfully intervened in a single one, despite the efforts of many principled people under its command.

Such actions which have been taken to prevent these atrocities can be credited only to individual countries, private organizations, and the personal integrity and courage of men and women making the decision to place justice and honor above politics.

In the end, evil is not stopped by governments. It is stopped by the actions of individuals who face injustice and say, “No.” Those actions begin in the little moments of goodness and integrity that we live in our daily lives – acts of compassion, justice, and courtesy that can be as small as wishing an unpleasant coworker ‘good morning’ or giving up your seat on the bus.

The habit of integrity is built in the little ways we live our lives and the tiny battles of right and wrong that we fight in the privacy of our own hearts. These serve as our proving ground so that, when we are faced with great evils, choosing to do good is as natural as breathing.

There will always be wolves in the world. Train yourselves in goodness, so that, when the wolf comes to the door, whether yours or your neighbors, you will be the sheepdog.

Author's Note:

An explanation of the true stories which inspired many of the events in this story may be found in the blog post New Story: My Neighbor's War. More than my own fiction, the real heroes of this tragedy deserve to be known.

Lest we forget...
The righteous dead of blessed memory
Rest in Peace

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

I was not expecting this story, but it needed to be written. Thank you for doing so.

[Delta-118]

I just...
Wow.
I don't think I could put to words how good this is.
Not without a long rambling diatribe about myself and my experiences with WW2 history that nobody wants to read, anyway.
Excellent job, as always. I'm... gonna go reflect for a bit, I think.

[PhycoKrusk]

I've really grown to like and admire Mr Arrow, especially the impact he has on our 8 friends.

[Spooksi]

I really like Mr. Arrow, so you can guess how delighted I was to read another story about him again. And this one doesn't disappoint. Pleasant with emotion, great characterization of Rarity and an honest, traditional charm that makes me adore this story.

[Grey Bard]

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Let us learn.

[Antiquarian]

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10083232
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Thank you!
10083764
Well said.

[M4Tiger4014]

Me getting ready to read this when I realize I've never made the time to read the other two, and so now I get to read three really good and moving stories in one night instead of just one.

So, thanks! Cus I know it'll be good

[UndeadSketches]

You are a man who speaks truth, a rarity these days.
Even though the truth is brutal and ugly, it is a truth that needs to be said. Because if we forget the truth, the atrocities will continue to happen.
Thank you for writing this. The effort you put into this isn't for nothing.
We mustn't ignore the wolves, nor should we forget the sheepdogs. You reminded us of both.

[Bugsydor]

Thanks for writing this, and the rest of the stories with Mr. Arrow. You're helping us remember history by tying it to people and stories.

[Bugsydor]

10084862
That was quite educational. I knew a little about Spain's opinions on slavery (thanks to a video series on the Haitian Revolution), but hadn't considered the glaring gaps in my knowledge on Spain in general.

[Destiny Chaser]

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VERY
You have a way of putting the reader there.

[Brasta Septim]

Speaking as a historian (and a priest, albeit of the Anglican faith, not a Catholic like the good Frere Jacques) myself, I've followed 14th Century Friar in Celestia's Court for a while and thought I'd check out some of your other works. I was not at all disappointed. This one was short, sweet, and to the point- very to the point.

[Antiquarian]

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Thank you kindly!

[Ice Star]

As it was noted before, this story is very, very to the point. The IRL human-ness of the names, locations, and verbatim insertion of our history into the land of skittle people is something that probably threw some readers off, even on the third installment. However, you write with sincere emotions and convey things tastefully. Thank you for writing this.

[Antiquarian]

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Thank you. I always like hearing that my IRL/skittles crossovers worked out for readers, especially when I'm trying to make an actual, serious point.

[Ice Star]

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Well, please keep up the good work! I'll certainly be sure to look into reading 14th-century friar one day, when I'm not nearly so busy and can tackle a longer story.

[Antiquarian]

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Yeah, 14th C is a bit of a monster. It started as something I was doing for kicks, and then very quickly got out of hand. Thanks for the support!

[Ice Star]

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It's pretty dummy thicc, and I like a dummy thicc story but university and my own projects are a bitch.

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Again, I cannot say anything too profound or deep about this. Just that this story needed to be written.

We must not forget. Ever.

[fanreader999999]

...
...
The comments section is funny.

[M4Tiger4014]

I forgot how good these are.

Regarding the UN, I think they get too much flak for their inaction. Not that inaction is ok, but it does the UN a grave disservice to focus on its inaction when every day it and it’s members work on providing humanitarian aid. Especially because they were set up to have very little real ability to intervene unless invited, since nobody wants their sovereignty to be infringed like that, especially when committing genocide. Take Rwanda. IIRC, they, besides not being allowed to intervene, literally did not have the ammunition or other supplies to be able to make a difference had they ignored their orders. This is much more telling about other nations instead of the UN (though considering the U.S.’s penchant for overthrowing even slightly socialist governments in favor of corrupt dictatorships, as well as things like COINTELPRO, the cynic in me is unsurprised. Much like China today, the people in power didn’t really care and the people who cared had no power. Similarly, both Turkey and Japan are strategic allies that most people would say aren’t worth alienating over pressuring them to admit to atrocities whose victims and perpetrators are long buried. Side note, fuck Turkey’s current “president.” Mustafa’s spinning in his grave.)

Now this isn’t directed at you specifically, I just get frustrated when people bring up the UNs inaction “What, you think a more useful League of Nations is gonna be able to stop genocide all on its own?”

How does one convince people to act now rather than morn later? And how do you get your friends and allies to admit to their past sins?

[Antiquarian]

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The UN forces on the ground are not to blame for Rwanda, that is true. Dallaire and his men did the best they could with the lack of resources they were given, and they rightly have my admiration. The ones who are to blame are the leaders of various countries who refused his every call for assistance and would not even jam the radio broadcasts (Interhamwe massacres were organized were often pushed via radio). Read A Problem From Hell by Samantha Powers if you want more on the specifics of UN failures in Rwanda, Bosnia, and a host of other genocides.

As for the UN in general, they have a track record of essentially blackmailing countries (especially in Africa and Asia) by withholding aid (e.g. well-drilling, medical aid, etc) unless the locals do things like prove that X-number of women have been sterilized - it's population control (and cultural imperialism) via blackmail. Such deliberate efforts to reduce the population of a particular ethnic group via sterilization and the like is, definitionally, a form of genocide, according to the UN's own definition. UN member nations (and UN-sponsored organizations and initiatives) have been at the forefront of these actions. I can't tell you how many human rights advocates I've listened to and worked with (chiefly from African and Asian countries) telling horror stories of the UN running roughshod over their people, all in the name of "saving" them. If you want to read up on a lot of the nasty eugenacist stuff that's been happening (and still is), check out this article or go to Dr. Steven Mosher's Population Research Institute.

I'm not saying the UN has never done anything good, or that it wasn't a good idea in theory, but they've got a lot of blood on their hands, and the current system is badly in need of overhaul.

[M4Tiger4014]

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Happy to help.

[M4Tiger4014]

10539094
It's times like these that it's extremely tempting to just write off humanity as a whole.