The Real War
This is a time when the world is anticipating a World War III. Governments are ready with their large armies to fight for what they believe is right and in favor of their countrymen. What they fail to understand is that more than half the population doesn’t even recognize the purpose for which their country is fighting a war.
War is indeed a heavy word. From what I have understood over the years, countries wage war against one another for nothing but POWER. They wish to strengthen their dominance and authority over other nations. But is this doing good to anyone after all? Let us look at its consequences and aftereffects. In today’s scenario, a war situation is most likely to end within a few weeks’ time with talks. If and when this actually happens, was it not an utter waste of lives, money, time, infrastructure, arsenal, and resources to have fought for nothing? If a war situation is resolved in such a way, was it not always possible to have avoided it beforehand? At this point, when I think of the families of those soldiers from either side who fought and died in this inconsequential war, it pains me to realize that what an immensely great, but useless their sacrifice has been. What a pity it is for those who laid down their lives for a cause so trivial that it was eventually resolved with mere talks!
The next consequence of a war is when it reaches a point wherein resolution becomes impossible and as a result, one country ultimately wins after crushing the defenses of its enemy. In this case, irrespective of the result, both countries suffer loss of lives and face huge economic setbacks which usually push the economy back by several years. It takes a lot of time and patience to re-establish disrupted trade routes, foreign relations, emerge out of inflation, debt etc.
None of the aforementioned results seem favorable to me. Generally, wars have no real incentives for the common people of any country. It is the people with power who plant certain ideas in the minds of commoners to mold their thought process in a certain way. They corrupt the mindset of their fellow countrymen to garner their support. Ultimately, it is these common people and the armed forces who face real losses and setbacks as a result of a war.
Amid all the chaos created in this war between Russia and Ukraine, I am sure that there are people in both these countries who are fighting smaller but more significant wars; War against poverty, war for access to better healthcare and education, war against unemployment, war to make ends meet, war to fulfill family needs, and countless others. Fighting against these small but ominous enemies would actually help countries to undergo transition into a better phase. This would actually make countries stronger as opposed to futile wars. Governments and people with power should help resolve these internal wars of their respective countries before exploring ways to exploit their precious resources for waging useless external wars. But we all know this wouldn’t happen anytime soon…would it? The most difficult task for powerful people is to acknowledge their mistakes and change their mindsets. However, I don’t think they are to blame because it is indeed difficult to ‘give’ when you have all the power to ‘take’…or rather ‘seize’ without having to suffer the consequences yourselves. The powerful people know that they are well backed by us ‘fools’ who are ready to bear the consequences of their wrongdoings! Thus, it is either us who have to fight their vicious minds and stop involving ourselves in matters that only make the situation worse for us, or it is them who have to fight their own temptations and choose the right alternative which considers the greater good for their country.
In my view, the real war plays out in the minds of people. It is desire against satisfaction, power against contentment, exploitation against preservation, arrogance against humility, temptation against sustainability, and finally, war against peace. We all know how these mind wars played out in case of Russia and Ukraine! Everyday of this war is proving to be more and more fatal for countless innocent lives! Even if all of this eventually stops at some point, the damage has already been done!
Our most formidable enemy is our own mind. We need to make our minds strong enough to make ourselves less vulnerable of being swayed by the ones who possess power. At the same time, powerful people need to channelize their minds towards stability, and not towards temptation for ‘more power’ as it will only lead to destruction and chaos!
Now that you have read my thoughts, I really wish to know if you are among the top 1% of the most powerful people, or you are just another commoner like me! I would never really know that….but I would like you to know that if you are among the powerful, you cannot sway me…and if you are a vulnerable minded common man, I am not like you!
