All About War

Recently, my brother's become interested in war movies. Not the "Life is Beautiful" type but "Platoon" and "Saving Private Ryan" types. Dad brings home DVDs of old classic war films like "Battle of Britain" and "Tora, Tora" from Jakarta.

I have never been a fan of war movies or have interested myself with military and war topics. The first time I had a glimpse of war was in a book published by TIME. It was called, Life at War. It was a photo-journalism type of book that had snapshots from the 1st world war to the Vietnam War. You can see the history unfolding in each page. The shift from grainy, black and white, sepia photographs to standard colored pictures. From massive, one-direction-only tanks to maneuverable, all-terrain humvees and assault vehicles. Rifles to machine guns. Every type of technology evolved, even clothing and protective suits.

Necessity creates ingenuity. There are now better and faster ways to transport people. Better and faster ways to annihilate people. Better and faster ways to heal people. A propaganda to faithfully pledge allegiance to one's fatherland or motherland.

Better machines
Better medicine
Better food
Better arsenal
Better tactics
Better soldiers
Better vehicles and airplanes and submarines

But what strikes me the most about the book was the snippets of each soldier, just before ambushing the enemy, just before jumping into their foxholes and trenches, just before throwing a hand grenade. Captions below would say that this was the last time a soldier was seen alive. When you turn the page, you would then see his corpse, swimming in his blood. His comrades ransacking his rations before medics pull him back, as he is an obstacle to marching troops. A more gruesome truth is that the soldier was only 18 years.

In France, there was a parade of soldiers in the city square, soldiers hailed before they are marched off to war. There was a child from the side who ran to his father, who was a soldier, crying. The toddler would not let go of his father. A picture of innocence, tainted by the harsh metallic smell of rifles, ammunition and grenades.

War teaches us to be strong. To have hope when there is nothing else to do. To finally realize one's finity and to believe in a higher being. To realize the futility of killing even for greater glory. War teaches us to live. To strive to survive and be happy with the fact that you are alive. War is a sad story. Lives are torn apart and anybody who lives through this experience is never the same.

this is yenie's 2 cents worth on war with critical thinking done in 5 minutes. other factors or insights unmentioned may not have been thought of the goddess during the 5-minute discernment.
no research was done... you get the idea