Several other blog authors have already written to this point, but I feel I need to put in a few thoughts: In the words of William Tecumseh Sherman, "War is Hell." War sucks. Previous to the past couple years, I was never much interested in military history, but have become interested more recently. Specifically, I have gotten into WWII and now the Civil War. My studies have led me to Sherman's eloquent conclusion.
There is a song lyric which says, "When the rich go to war, it's the poor who die." It could also be said, "When the powerful go to war, it's the powerless who die." This, I think, is why war not only sucks, but why war REALLY sucks. Those that wage the war often times never suffer the real consequences of war.
I can't help, after reading KA and BCOF, but feel a certain degree of animosity towards both the South and the North (mainly politicians and other public figures) who, because of their bullheadedness, could not make peace. Pickett's charge becomes all the more depressing when you have read everything that led to that point, not only at Gettysburg, but the entire war, and the entire antebellum period. Yes, "they all have their own reason to die," but I believe that reason rarely has much to do with the "cause" for which each side respectively fights. That is why war sucks.
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War does suck. I wish there was another way, but because people feel so strongly about their reasons to fight and don't want to make any compromises, it is necessary.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe a good, 2 out of 3, game of Paper, Rock, Scissors, would be much more effective. Of course, that could spin out of control as well. Was that really a scissors, or did you just see my paper and then stick out your fingers from your original rock? Ad nauseam. I suppose even a dispute such as this could turn to violence. War it is! Slaughtering people by the thousands and millions really is the only sensible way to solve problems.
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