Today is February 10, 2008; we are waist-deep in an international conflict called, “The War on Terror” and we can hardly render a passing glance at the number of soldiers dying, let alone the reason they are fighting. With the constant battering of statistics into our skulls, two thousand wounded becomes two wounded, eight deaths becomes one. At this point, it is not whether we are impassive or not, it is a matter of why we are impassive. Is it the repetition of grave mishaps that keeps our emotions at bay, or is it the lifestyle? Is it human nature or is it methodical madness? Through “An Occurrence at Owl Creek,” Ambrose Bierce illustrates the universal ability to grow desensitized to violence and death, even in a time when modernized technological warfare did not exist.

One example of human desensitization toward brutality can be found in Owl Creek: “How coldly and pitilessly — with what an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquility in the men — with what accurately measured interval fell those cruel words: ‘Company! . . . Attention! . . . Shoulder arms! . . . Ready! . . . Aim! . . . Fire!’” Here, Bierce explains the almost robotic behavior of the guards at the bridge. Earlier in the passage, their robotic characteristics were exemplified as Bierce described their positions as “statues” along the creek. Despite the fact they view the vicious act of hanging men, they were undeniably too calm.

The other example of their unwavering hostility is Bierce’s description of Peyton Farquhar as a kindly civilian: “He wore a moustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp. Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.” Thus, not only were soldiers desensitized from watching it, they knew no limits in terms of capturing men that wandered too close to the bridge. In this case, repetition reinforced their indifference.

One suggested theory of America’s apathy toward war is its lack of occurrence in the United States. The last actual war that took place on American soil was the Civil War. However, this can be disproved due to Ambrose Bierce’s first-hand experience in the Civil War. Even when the constantly-wired lifestyle was nonexistent and war was waged on American soil, disinterest still reigned to some extent. The common notion, “I’m not personally affected, so I don’t care,” lives on through human nature, not through habit.

With regard to this day and age, twenty-first century warfare involves far more advanced technology, and henceforth it has become more of a videogame than man-on-man combat. Unfortunately, in our case, there are no restarts, no undoes, no backspace, no load files, and no checkpoints to save progress. Perhaps it is this digital mentality that transports our sense of ideals to another plane of reality. The fact that an LCD display separates us from the “real world” puts us in a situation where even XBOX’s Halo seems more realistic than the War on Terror. It is not a matter of time, you can already ask an average gamer about his stats on Counter-Strike, and he will provide you with an answer instantly. Ask him about the slaughter in the Middle East, and he will have no idea.