Chris Hedges "The Greatest Evil is War"

Chris Hedges returned to The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy NY on October 21, 2022 to speak on the subject of his latest book, titled “The Greatest Evil is War” (Seven Stories Press). This unflinching indictment of the horror and obscenity of war draws from experience and interviews for a book that looks at the hidden costs of war, what it does to individuals, families, communities, and nations.
In memory of Meghan Marohn
1980-2022
www.mediasanctuary.org
www.chrislhedges.com
Director: Branda Miller
Technical director and camera: Dave Publow
Cameras: Jesús Jose Nahmias Alonso, Annie Cass
Technical support: EP, Alÿcia Bacon
House management: Sina Basila Hickey, Carolyn Tennant
KitchenSanctuary: Jonathan Segol, Aileen Javier, Nancy Weber
Post production: Alexandra Shablovsky
Executive producer: Steve Pierce
Thumbnail photo by Jon Flanders

[@arnystieber732]

I’m an Army, infantry veteran of the U.S. war against the people of Viet Nam. I’ve been involved in peace actions for many years. I’ve listened to Chris many times and to many other speakers. This is Chris’s best talk by far and the best, most specific, strongest, most honest talk I’ve ever heard!! I will spread this widely. I must keep planting seeds of peace and Chris is by far the force that gives me meaning.

[@Suburbangeek]

Yes, I agree. Chris' content is always well written, conveying serious truths but this speech was disturbingly human, as well - beautiful and profoundly depressing. Bravo.

[@nealamesbury1480]

Thumbs up,arny

[@michaeldamato9466]

He's only telling the veneer of what's going on, he doesn't mention how Trump was the only person who wanted to stay clear of what the military industrial complex wanted, and so they brought him down, and they still wanna keep him down.

[@AlexanderDunetz]

Arny: Preach on , older brother .

[@stormchaser419]

Chris is one of the strongest most articulate voices of MODERN TIMES to clearly state truths. Truths humanity is not prepared to hear. Moral truths. Truths of modern evils. Truths about the US government and others.

[@Pyasa.shaitan]

Chris hedges: The voice of reason in these dark times. Thank you for everything.

[@liesarenowtruth3880]

The singular and most epic antiwar mic drop of all time. We need his voice so desperately.

[@thaddeusjanczewski1308]

Chris is a man that we need as a leader!! The world would be so much better

[@minismith7329]

Instead we have war mongers for leaders😢

[@suzanneharris8339]

This planet is lucky to have Chris Hedges ❤ living on it with us.

[@madfoxcityemnau6414]

Yes we are.

[@solidaritytime3650]

I'm so pleased that KZbin, out of character, recommended this on the day of its release I'm also happy that Chris gets to speak to a live audience in this one!

[@patriciahick3668]

I am not an American - New Zealander - but am inspired and feeling a deep respect and gratitude for Chris for this amazing heartfelt talk on the evil of war. Thankyou Chris and i wish you inner peace and rest.

[@jennefercochran259]

I. DON'T boycott another any other country .

[@stevelandry6825]

GREAT SURF SPOTS!

[@johnnymcnoodle27]

If only we had more journalists like Chris Hedges. The most important writer working in the US today.

[@gerryboudreaultboudreault2608]

Yes! As well as truth speakers like Noam Chomsky and Ralph Nader.

[@oscarrobert4725]

I am struck in aww. This is not a talk that I have ever heard Chris do befor. He courageously shares his soul. I am grateful for your courage and spirituality Chris. God-bless you my friend.

[@bernhardforcher6174]

No one speaks like Chris Hedges. The sound of truth cannot be imitated.

[@briobarb8525]

Amen!!!

[@madeleinegoblet9500]

Omg this is one of his most powerful speeches

[@alanhehe4508]

Chris Hedges is as much a veteran of war as any soldier. He is a tireless advocate for human rights and dignity, and an unflinching voice of truth in a world of deception. God bless Chris Hedges. His work is priceless.

[@lostboy583]

The unfortunate paradox of a Hedge’s book release, as it always seems so bittersweet. A brilliant writer telling us the stories everyone needs to hear.. but no one wants to.

[@madfoxcityemnau6414]

People do want to hear it. That's why Chris Hedges exists on this platform. No surrender.

[@ghostpiratelechuck2259]

@@madfoxcityemnau6414You know what he means. No one actually wants to hear. He doesn’t want to tell it either. It’s just reality so must be spoken and heard.

[@robertkowalski3365]

This speech should be translated in all languages and presented for aspiranten soldiers.

[@alaskavaper2490]

Chris Hedges is the most eloquent voice against the true horror of war. We need to listen and take to our hearts his impassioned message.

[@annalisa14]

This seminary graduate and war corespondent is a brilliant orator and a brother in the effort to see our fellow human as ourselves. I have done that all my life. I am a woman who resisted all wars and watched as the United States engaged in most of them. Noam Chomsky is another who I hold as a sacred brother. Listen to both of these often. Share with your most precious friends. Noam is 97, I believe. Hear him before he is gone….

[@PoetlaureateNFDL]

Noam is precious

[@walterflemister606]

The most accurate description of what war looks, tastes, smells and feels like as it happens and afterwards; that I have ever heard. It is hell and should be avoided at all cost.

[@jackjack4412]

Have you served in the military or read any books on war or military leaders?

[@madfoxcityemnau6414]

And because it actually costs too much; Hedges knows how to synthesize real talk and NEVER pulls punches. Powerfully crispy academic oration.

[@peteraddison4371]

... and-yet, as despicable and darstedly described, war, when it does come, is openly welcomed ethusiasticly. It is paradoxically embraced, sanctioned, and oxymoronicly promoted ...

[@adambazso9207]

@@jackjack4412 And if he hasn't? What would that change?

[@karinheinitzretired3510]

This is one of the most moving talks I have listened to this century. It ought to be required reading/listening not only for journalists. Thank you so much.

[@thefatchap4675]

Problem is America's shit education system.most people wouldn't get it if it were.

[@jackjack4412]

Should it be required for military? Are you familiar with SOF?

[@esabelangeleca3939]

⚡💯⚡

[@esabelangeleca3939]

@@jackjack4412 No, No, and No...

[@nathanmarsh3172]

Play this on every TV tonight and let us weep together. Peace

[@derekdexheimer3070]

Thank you, Chris Hedges, for facing these terrible truths, and delivering them to us unsoftened, fully focused, without compromise. Thank you for carrying that cross, and showing us your struggle to bear that terrible weight. I am grateful for all you've experienced, you and all your fellow reporters and writers and soldier-victims, so I don't have to. I hope you know how valued and important your work is.

[@NelaCopey2959]

Every member of Congress should be required to listen to this. In a just and somewhat normal world, this would be required watching for all high school seniors.

[@hoovesandpawsanimalrescue]

Our government profits on war, why would they want to abolish war?

[@charlottecooney1019]

Amen!!!!❤❤

[@jordanm2984]

Reading and listening to Hedges is like diet and exercise for the intellect. It's not often fun, but it's important to do, and good for you.

[@jayspik6498]

This should be broadcast on prime time media.. We should all sit our children in front of the television and have them listen in every school and university in the country.. That is what must be done.. Time is of the essence..

[@l.w.paradis2108]

I love this man. His lucidity is a solace.

[@l.w.paradis2108]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson er, blocked

[@robhead22]

Thank you! Chris hedges is an unrecognized national treasure!

[@phuongthaodoan3531]

I feel fortunate to find his speech here, will remember his words for life

[@marciak4592]

Powerful. Magnificent. Heart-rending. Thanks, Chris.

[@jimnutter6901]

Ultimate respect to you , my brother. I hear you, through my tears.🌹j.

[@jimnutter6901]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson Thanx , Cristopher. I am an Australian in my 86th year Living in the hills in the hills at the source of the Brunswick river and looking down the valley to Byron Bay and the most Easterly point on the continent. Though living in a small transportable cabin, known colloquially as a donga , and surrounded by tall trees,I am able to travel the world, see the greatest concerts and hear the greatest minds on the planet through the screen of my iPad. Cris Hedges andJefferySachs are at the top of a list I’m writing of my informants. In Australia, we have been following the US for many years and I believe it is time for a divorce. I think we should declare ourselves a neutral state. Felicitations.🌹j.

[@jimnutter6901]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson Apart from the first half of the 60s, which I spent in NZ . driving cranes on the waterfront, all my life. And your good self?🌹j.

[@jimnutter6901]

Your domain gmail couldn’t be found.

[@kakistocracyusa]

One of the most effective speeches I've heard from Hedges.

[@paddyp42]

❤chris headges - we need a moral evolution and his words are essential in getting us there.

[@scorpio9420]

Chris Hedges is one of the greatest journalists. We need more people like him. This had 27 t views, but where are the comments?

[@katnip198]

God Bless you Chris Hedges, a voice in this vast wilderness. I pray God for you to know deep peace. Thank you

[@amanderik]

I have been reading and listening to speeches from Chris Hedges for many years. He has unflinching integrity and moral clarity. This is among his most moving speeches. The least we can do as Americans is demand that our representatives in government stop supporting war. And today the stakes have never been higher. Call Congress, email them a link to this speech. Let them know we want them to act. Demand the neocons be removed forever from positions of power and that genuine diplomacy be restored.

[@azzaelgazzar4947]

A valuable speech. Thank you. I wish more would stand up in Germany and give us hope.

[@margaretsenior9821]

Thank you for your common sense, and pushing the horror of war right into our faces.

[@margaretsenior9821]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson I’m from England, but now living in Australia.

[@margaretsenior9821]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson I have been here over 30 years, I have 4 children, 3 are married and I have 3 grandchildren.

[@TomvanBodegraven]

This is a fantastic talk by Chris Hedges - it's difficult to imagine anyone with more authority on the topic.

[@ToddBoyle]

Thanks to the video crew and audio crew for a great shoot. YES IT MATTERS. Thank you so much..

[@Brianbeesandbikes]

Well done Chris!👍🏿👍♥️🌎

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

I wish I were half as brave as this man.

[@brigitteparrant9589]

Thank you SO much for your Service Chris 👌

[@CyborgNinja442]

Chris is a true warrior poet. This is something that really resonated with me, and I believe embodies what the human spirit should always align with. - Just wanna say thanks btw, I'll keep the fire burning

[@jordiecane836]

A man of the highest integrity and morality, who cuts through the lies and narratives spun by the global elites. Thankyou Chris Hedges ❤️

[@levinpsy]

Brilliant, Necessary, Important, Brave and True. Thank you Mr. Hedges.

[@vanessac1965]

God bless and protect this man.

[@michaelascheffler4229]

Thank you Mr. Hedges!

[@ct371006]

Its like reading Camus' The Plague. We are powerless to win but we must fight the good fight. Our meaning comes from the fight itself.

[@philbob_d9254]

POWERFUL! HEDGES IS A HERO.

[@tahteluik9881]

Dear mr. Hedges! Your speech touched me very deeply! Love and peace from Estonia!

[@mindbodysoul9066]

Bless you Chris. Thank you.

[@Muskidd]

Chris never misses.

[@LordTempist]

Thank God for Chris Hedges. A single articulate clear mind in a World of Lies and Evil.

[@LordTempist]

@Dr. Christopher Johnson Happy Thanksgiving. Hoping you and yours are well and good. Be safe.

[@quintama1007]

Whenever this guy speaks it touches something deep inside me. His speeches have that power.

[@KanafanisGhost]

This is an incredibly wrenching and cathartic speech. Hedges is a gift to humanity.

[@georgepaul5843]

Chris Hedges delivers a powerful emotional and moving speech. He does a fine job as a spokesman condemning war as an act of human insanity, destructive of not only life, but all things we love and cherish. Keep your good work up.

[@jackjack4412]

Alexander the Great, Napoleon and many others would probably say it's a bit more complex than that.

[@adambazso9207]

@@jackjack4412 Your comments show that you yourself don't like to think about complex issues in their complexity. You are not ready to widen the horizon of your thinking. Why? Why can't we have few voices, which don't promote constant war and military intervention, voices which are critical with the current system. What's your angle? Why can't you imagine, that someone analyzed isssues in detail and came to different conclusions than your own???

[@ferlinabrahamson8447]

Powerful!

[@chrizastenium]

Chris, thank you so much for your honesty and courage in talking about US foreign policy now, at the time of most dangerous nuclear escalation. It already propagated so many wars around the globe and this one could be the last for all of us. The silence in mainstream media about this is absolutely astonishing. Independent journalism rests in piece...

[@cengizinceoglu2671]

Absolutely stunning and moving speech.

[@theascendance]

Excellent talk and to the point thank you Chris

[@SamuelOrjiM]

Thank you Chris for using your body to defend mine, live well and die a legend.

[@johleby8048]

🙏❤️🙏Thank You, Chris Hedges. Sad but it’s our reality to fight amongst ourselves to make even more money to the wealthy ones who are the war mongers. 🙏❤️🙏

[@squirreldiglight964]

Well Said... Chris spoke the TRUTH! The world is in a mess which shows clearly that we are not equipped to solve our own problems and we, as a species, have failed badly! We need a change and this change does not come from us. It will come from whoever put use here on earth! Pray that the change come sooner than later!

[@saskk2290]

I don't think that's his point...

[@G_truPrGrSv]

Pleeeeeease 🙏🏼continue Chris ; do not cease bringing the heat to their asses , truth to the powers .

[@jimdelaney2198]

Frankly, spine-tingling. A powerful testimonial from a man who's seen it all. As a vet, it all rings terribly true. I thank Pastor Hedges for his tough, take-no-prisoners testimonial and analysis. Where are the peacemakers???????

[@margotgarcia1]

either we are the peacemakers or there are none...

[@anoldmannameddave7455]

This was as powerful a statement ever made about the horror, and reasons why these horrors are propagated. Chris delivers a ‘truth bomb’, that I’ve never heard expressed so eloquently. I think this should be presented to every high school and college class, regarding civics, government, and history. Instead, our society is fed constant propaganda, trying to lead us all to accept this shit. This man, Mr. Hedges, is an example of a TRUE Patriot! He tells the truth to all the lies. Much honor and respect to him.❤️✌️

[@mp7161]

Thank you for the wise and painful speech

[@susanwoo3358]

I am surprised that you have not been censored! If more of the ‘misinformed and indoctrinated’ can listen and understand your speech and even better, read your books, the world may be a ‘little better’. As my late husband had often remarked, reflecting in the wars’ waged by our ‘patrolling great and honorable country’, that people had to live through war to know what is war ( he having lived through part of the Second World War in his country). Thank you,Chris for your eloquence and fearless attitude and deed to speak and write about the truth!

[@ghostpiratelechuck2259]

Unfortunately, he has been censored. “On contact” has been completely erased from YT, and removed from western google. And he is now labeled as a right wing ptn apologist. Along with Noam and Amnesty Intl. It’s a great tragedy. He’s uniquely able to articulate the horrors, survivor guilt, inundation of memories and loss of meaning suffered by conflict journalists and veterans (on any side) alike. At least, to me. It’s a hard thing to explain but he puts the correct words to it.

[@DrStepperphd]

That was an amazing speech Mr. Hedges. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your work.. Thank you.

[@janicecountess3351]

Graphic speaker and he hits the soul. Chris pricks our spiritual conscience.

[@annacook6965]

Amazing speech, so powerful and revealing...

[@MonaLisa-lu8zi]

What a wonderful speech. 💯 % engaging. Maithú Chris. 👏

[@Stfushitlib2]

Holy crap!!! New Hedges!!!! Thank you MS.

[@haifaisrail2016]

Thank you for the truth! May God bless you!

[@terrygribb9185]

A great man..

[@PhilipTraumWaits]

That was very moving. I appreciate Chris Hedges work so much

[@leemason4024]

Thank you Chris. Oh course I'm going to have a really solemn weekend now.

[@michaelascheffler4229]

Thank you again and again !

[@vrill3890]

Amazing. No words. Thank you 🙏

[@igweogba6774]

What a powerful speech

[@robbieelliot9491]

Thank you so much for being the voice and words and knowledge and moral compass I could not express. I cry for all those mothers, families, people who fall victim to carnage of war. For all our education, we in the west, understand so little. I will share where possible. May you be given more platforms to share your message of peace and sanity.

[@ms_kitka5032]

Absolutely brilliant! Everyone should be made to listen to this.

[@virginiachade801]

Wow, everyone should listen to these words of true wisdom!!!!

[@DoctorD3]

The absolute best interpretation of what we are all facing today. The greatest evil is war; and those to promote it; cause it; advocate for it; profit from it; and encourage others to follow along under the guise of patriotism or glory, should be soundly condemned.

[@oh_no9594]

These speeches are something to look forward to every year.

[@_sunshine_rainbows]

absolute perfection from chris hedges. beautiful and truthful words

[@londonoalex]

My goodness. Thank-you for lifting this veil

[@MohicanD]

One of the best Journalist ever. God mercy on humanity with uncalled wars and its growing. 💔

[@robertprice2148]

Brilliant. Thank you for posting.

[@bohditony]

Thank you for always speaking to truth

[@jamesremi6585]

This man is amazing. Respect him a lot and I am grateful for his work.

[@thedude3369]

Such a great author and journalist. Thank you for all you do Mr. Hedges.

[@eileenmc4746]

Been waiting to see his annual brilliant speech, thanks

[@elfraser3538]

Thank you Chris. My parents knew, in a direct sense, of some of the very real lies about WWII. They were both there, but my mother knew due to her work in the lead-in to the heaviest parts of the battles.

[@aoeu256]

There are lies about WWII?

[@fillyjamalama5201]

​@@aoeu256 it is the very essence of every war, lies!!

[@zakarieoreilly5097]

Unflinchingly honest and truthful

[@deborahloew-black5637]

Thank You; such a voice of opinion gained through experience is the voice of education that everyone on planet earth needs to hear.

[@barrymalkin4404]

Chris, your book "War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning" was cathartic for me and I look forward to reading your latest book on the subject.

[@liormanheim9636]

You are an absolute and most brave speaking figure of our time. Every speech you make demonstrates the nature of a true hero! God bless you

[@NelsonGuzmanGarcia]

Powerful speech.

[@RTDoh5]

A true national treasure (HEDGES). Reminds us that the only two lasting things that come out of war are pain and consequences. Understand that I am NOT a pacifist, sometimes it is necessary to fight for your own freedom and survival. However, war should not be something that one should desire and long for. When I hear people in the U.S. say they want a civil war, they should talk to people in other countries who have delt with civil wars. There is never anything civil about them. Just outcomes and consequences that have to be lived with.

[@thatwaseasy4065]

Very intelligent man,what came before remains as a ghost upon the land

[@terrystraker2459]

All praise to Almighty God; victory through truths, by the force of Almighty God. Patience’s under the attacks of evil. “Evil” . Knowledge that evil must be conquered. The truths will manifest itself against all dough’s, and the world will see. All praise to Almighty God amen.