There are no winners in war... no victors, no vanquished. War is violent in its images. It is cruel in its results and feeble in its humanity. There is no humanity in war.
It is all about false victories that are temporary at best because the hurt created by war is generational with historic, institutional and familial memories. There are no true victors because it the children that carry the suffering and pain. The hate war breeds passes on to the next generations.
Politicians and generals speak of defeating the enemy but all it breeds are generations of sons and daughters who loathe the other side. Winning and fighting is a trophy of the political elite that allows them to speak in blustery rhetoric during elections, raise money during their term in office and allow them to brag as they retire. No true peace is ever achieved by war because the pain, wounds and scars are too deep to mask in palliative stories.
War only heads one way. It takes us closer to the point of no return: the abyss of mutually assured destruction. The danger is as close as it ever was in history. Ideology is no longer the flag. The new flag of hate is religious dogma. The reward of faith is heaven. It is the biggest irony that religious zealots on both sides use faith as the armor of hate and heavenly rewards as incentive. It makes no sense.
It takes greater courage to stand for peace because of the fear of being called a coward. But there is no cowardice in peace because it nurtures kindness, forgiveness and compassion. And if cowardice takes us further away from the point of no return, let all of us be cowards. There is no victory in death. There are no regrets or lessons in the coffin.
I hope for peace. I hope people come to their senses.