T.S. Elliot & the Waste Land.

It is truly fascinating how we are reading books that are connected with our society today. I actually think that we are living in a waste land. Even though we are surrounded with so much materialism, not only the goods that we use go to waste, but also our human values are going to the waste as well. Personally, the War in Iraq is the most horrible and yet ridicoulous war in history. And am I worried about my cousin's life after he comes back. Is he going to continue being funny and positive all of the time, like he used to be before he was sent to Iraq? After reading Elliot's poem, I thought about the soldiers coming back from Iraq and how society would deal with them. It's scary what is going to happen after the war is over. But all I know is that life should be valued at all costs, more than competition for power and wealth and unfortunately it is not. Is that how 'modern' we have come?