Politicians, War, and Death Caused by War
November 11, 2024•833 words
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." ~ Plato
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~ Bertrand Russell
"War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." ~ William Tecumseh Sherman
"Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die." ~ Herbert Hoover
In war, everything shifts and distorts our expectations.
War seems clear at a distance, but it becomes complex and confusing up close.
Even with all the spy satellites and autonomous artificial intelligence drone technology, generals and commanders face constant storms of conflicting information, some true, some misleading, errors arise from fear, error of wrong human targets, exhaustion, logistics carelessness, or a false sense of duty.
The experience of war remains timeless, it's death, suffering, and destruction remain unchanged regardless of the weapons used.
We falsely believe and mislead our societies that modern civilizations use intelligence technology to reduce devastating towns, cities, executing soldiers, and mass killing of children, women, disabled persons, and elderly with the use of smart bombs and missiles.
Courage, too, takes many forms.
Hardened courage comes from habit and a sense of duty, or it can spring from deep personal beliefs such as pride, patriotism, or a rush of adrenaline.
For soldiers in lower ranks, repeated danger can strip away pretenses and deception, causing a simpler mindset, survival.
Yet, politicians and their warhawks, ambition, envy, generosity, pride, humility, and greed overwhelm their mindsets.
Ultimately, the goal of any battle is to overcome the enemy by destroying their forces so much that they can no longer fight.
Victory isn’t just measured by deaths, but by capturing the enemy’s resources, their soldiers, and their equipment.
War reveals the tragic senselessness of human conflict.
Politicians and their politics and rivalries, driven by pride, ambition, and the hunger for power, turn differences into bloodshed.
These political decisions ripple outwards, pulling and pushing soldiers and civilians into the chaos.
War itself rarely achieves any noble aim; instead, it leads to the loss of countless lives, leaving grief and broken communities in its wake.
As we can see in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, death in war is indiscriminate, mass killing both the young and old, soldier and civilian alike.
Families lose loved ones, cities are destroyed, and futures are erased, all for the sake of political agendas that are often hidden or misguided by politicians that choose to escalate rather than negotiate.
War politicians always distance themselves from the devastating effects of their choices.
The horror of war strips away the meaning behind the causes that are assumed to justify it.
War leaves behind only a stark reminder of the cost of unchecked power and the senselessness of mass murder and extreme violence.
Politicians who push for war are like gang leaders, leading from a safe distance while their soldiers, most are innocent to face the most brutal realities of direct warfare.
These leaders, driven by the pursuit of power, wealth, or influence, rally others to fight for them, but they rarely step into the dangers, and war chaos they create.
They operate in suits and polished offices, and go home to their mansions, hidden from the smoke, mud, bombs, and missiles that define their collective punishment on a society.
Politicians interests in war are about territory, resources, or reputation, disguised in rhetorical language like "national interest" or "defence of freedom." Yet, much like gang bosses, these politicians and their advisors pull strings behind the scenes, leaving their soldiers to face the true consequences of death.
Often young and full of loyalty, soldiers are led to believe they’re fighting for a noble cause, much like gang members drawn in by promises of loyalty, belonging, or honour.
But, the reality soldiers encounter is harsh, dismemberment, deep emotional scars and death.
War becomes a cycle where those in power gamble with lives, while the real cost is paid by those on the ground and in the sky.
War and death have influenced our understanding of meaning.
When faced with war, we’re confronted by our own mortality and by questions about what we truly value.
Soldiers often discover a deep sense of camaraderie, risking everything for the person next to them. This bond, in shared suffering, gives a unique clarity and intensity to life that many never experience elsewhere.
The intense reminder of past wars and death caused by war, sparks compassion, resilience, and a desire to protect peace.
War is a paradox as it devastates, yet it drives people to acts of selflessness, courage, and unity.
For many societies, the shared experience of war and the collective memory of loss create identities and purpose.