Glory and War. Two words that seem to be synonymous in today’s world. The promises of greatness and victory often lead us to think that war might be good. It is something which is often glamorised in the media. However, beneath the facade of militarism and patriotic speeches, war reveals itself to be nothing but a dirty game. A complex situation that involves death, maiming and loss. Something that boils down to a mess of manipulation and propaganda. Is it not strange that even after suffering for centuries, some of us still support war? We make heroes of generals and warriors and emphasise the “sacrifices” that have been made, but we must never forget the terrible costs that war exacts from us.
It has always been ingrained in us, war. Take the Iliad, Homer’s 8th-century B.C.E. epic about the Trojan War, a battle between the Trojans and the Greeks. Both the Trojans and the Greeks sing songs of their glory, celebrating the great Greek heroes Achilles and Odysseus. Along with Hector, the prince of Troy. With the historic fall of Troy, the Greeks are shown to celebrate. It seemed to be a collective win for all of Greece. But what of the deaths? Of the 240 losses, including Patrocholus, Achilles, Hector and Hector’s infant son, Astyanax. The intensive murdering of the remaining men of Troy and the fate of the women, which was suddenly limited to captivity and slavery. The old text shows how futile the human mind is as it grapples to find a ray of pride to hold on to. The false narrative of victory and glory has always been shown to us. What we fail to understand is that this supposed “victory” is not ours to celebrate. What we are left with is regret.
Arguably, the credit for changing how the world views this phenomenon must be given to the First World War. The first major conflict which involved most of the major world powers and given that, most of the innocent deaths. The numbers account for a sombre reading, almost 9 million soldiers killed in battle and 5 million civilians killed, not including those injured, paralysed and blinded. It seems difficult to accept that even after so much evident bereavement, why did people still send their loved ones in the face of death? The mothers who pushed their only sons to fight and the fathers who took pride when the tattered piece of fabric arrived as the only remaining evidence of their offspring’s existence. The wives who prayed on their hands and knees for the safe arrival of their husbands and the children who looked forward to another hug from Dad. The truth is, propaganda between 1914 and 1918 was virtually unavoidable. It appeared in many forms: posters, newspapers, speeches and even door-to-door campaigning. Major powers such as Great Britain and the United States used this propaganda to garner troops, often appealing to men’s notions of courage and duty. Ultimately, after the war, the powers that lost, lost. But those who claimed to win the war, lost as well. After all, war never determines who won. It really just determines who is left.
To think that after so much continuous loss in both world wars, we would have understood that normal people never win. Alas, such is not the case. War has never ceased, nor has genocide. What is so amusing is that no one tries to hide it anymore. People are suffering and dying every single day in the Gaza Strip. Children are dying in Iran. The bloodbath in Sudan is too graphic to show to a child, yet we see it every day and do absolutely nothing about it. One second, we are laughing at a funny clip of a dog tumbling down the stairs, and the next, we see death. The bodies lay in pieces, and the bloodcurdling screams of mothers refuse to accept that another of their children no longer exists. The helpless cries of a father who is so incredibly tired but still persists to survive in a war he did not enlist in. From 20th-century Germany to today’s United States, the extreme division between Left and Right-wing ideologies contributes to ripping nations apart. To the Left, the sufferings that the Right face are nothing but a mere swipe of a finger, and vice versa. We have been desensitised and force-fed propaganda so much that we begin to argue basic human rights. We see the destruction and fatalities, yet we make excuses because that is simply what we have been trained to do.
How much more will we have to suffer before we realise that war is never the solution? In the conflicts between world leaders and in our division, the ones who suffer the most are the vulnerable. The women, children and minorities who did not sign up for this incessant thread of suffering and yet still are thrown in the midst of it all. How many more little girls and boys with dreams do we have to sacrifice to understand that the common person will never emerge as the Victor? The title is reserved for the mighty kings and queens of the world who simply think of us as pawns. Having said that, we need to realise that having opinions is important. The use of independent thought is what makes us human. But it is also as important to have morals, for no opinion justifies murder. None of us will ever be able to bring back the son with the shiny eyes or the daughter with the raven hair. No song of the birds will ever be able to drown out the deafening scream of a mother. Supporting a war does not make anyone more relevant or important; it just makes them another pawn in the game. We must stay careful, lest in search of glory, we might bring death.