We must obey

War was always problematic. People just didn't want to fight. In their hearts they're all namby-pamby traders who would rather take junior out to the ball park on the weekend. Even with the finest psychologists it was near impossible to convince them and get inside their heads; those "Your country needs you" posters just wouldn't cut it anymore. Well not after the first wars. No. People wouldn't fall so easily for that again. We even employed ivy league graduates to tell us what it would take to raise the army population against our "enemy." We didn't like the answer. But what was the alternative? We need war for our economy, to maintain our global position, but you can't rally a population around that flag. We need lies. We need morally right reasons. People need to be "educated" on why the enemy is bad. They need to fear that they or their families will personally suffer if action isn't taken. It takes years of course, but so long as the lie is big enough no-one suspects a thing. Idealise war for them, make them hungry for the blood and flesh of their enemies. Convince them to rip throats and chop heads off. They had to hate one another, human nature helped of course. They all wanted to be "right" and "superior." Religion was such a wonderful vehicle for all that, a way of using the best parts of their natures to boost the worst parts instead of suppressing them. I'm telling you it was genius. I guess that makes me a genius. What? Am I ashamed? Not at all. We're still on top aren't we? Life is cruel. Get over it.

War came over the horizon like a slow moving tank. We became anxious, scared. Violence once confined to the television was playing out on our streets. The drama of hollywood was written in blood on the sidewalk. We choked on the liberal progress we had made to be multi-cultural, to accept different faiths and cultures like it was acrid air. 

Then we did what every generation has done since the dawn of time, when push came to shove we were easy to manipulate into war. Propaganda is so easy to see from the lens of the future, we think it's blatant and those folks long ago were simple and stupid. But it turns out we haven't evolved at all. Our culture put up some resistance for a time, perhaps if we had caved to the will of the government sooner they might have stopped some of the carnage on our own soil. But we had to “learn.” So men in brown uniform came…

To teach us… 

How to shut our minds off.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

' But it turns out we haven't evolved at all.'

Truth is often very painful and, or plus, talking truthfully about war is always a red rag to the world's bulls! Jingoism and the rest hovers whenever and wherever people are threatened, fingers twitch towards those little red buttons... and the fodder stands by, en masse knowing what might happen next time.

Read a hint or few of the following and embellished it.

Man has rehearsed war down the ages, each time killing those few more sons and fathers, sisters and cousins. And so it's gone on and on; rehearsals as to which can kill the most, who can invent the worst, most powerful war-machines . who can blow the aged and the babies to bloody smithereens. And, one day, when Man least expects it.. the rehearsals will be over, done and buried - just like the planet's population.

So, methinks i go along with your wonderfully succinct write., see a heart inside it and an extreme logic. Brava.. truly.

[Maria Prikhodko]

Thank you! It's so nice to read a review from you! I tried to picture war from both points of view. As people are thinking that we are standing on the edge of ww3 we can go extinct and for what? For "saving pride" of our nation and other lies they provide.

[emmajoy]

Man's Ego regarding territory, faith, the natural world and its animals, plus - space, will get 'him' in the end. We're all here for a reason and that's not all-out domination.

[Jacob Clifford]

Very relevant points in this piece, and they are made in a very respectable way. I like that you can talk about such a heated topic without "stirring the pot", as it were.

[Maria Prikhodko]

Thank you :) I tried to make it short from both points of view and harsh.

[CRBain]

A nice setup to a possibly interesting story. I enjoy the introspective writing style so this tickles my fancy all over. I won;t comment on wether or not i agree with the sentiment, I think that would be beside the point, but I hope you keep writing more on this

[Maria Prikhodko]

Everyone understands this story differently. One might agree with the point they see in this story, when other might disagree and find a totally different point of this story. It's entirely up to the reader's imagination how to understand this story. But thank you anyways :3

[Philip Muls]

We identify with our collective ego and then the logic of war is very clear. We need a 'them' to reinforce the 'us'. We need to react to something to strengthen our egoic minds.

I like the way you have built up your piece.

[Maria Prikhodko]

Thank you :)

[Stefano Segnan]

I do not think that all wars are alike or that all wars are/were driven by the above-mentioned reasons. It is true that war drives the machine of the economy, and that perhaps the economy is today the ultimate reason for war. It is also true that many are brainwashed with sense of duty, or with the identification of being superior against the "other", the strange, fearsome and distant "enemy". No war was ever humane, but I cannot compare past wars with wars of today. Even soldiers aren't soldiers anymore, but something depersonalized doing functions.

Coming from a country that had a five year war not that long ago, I can tell you that some people did want war and did want to fight. Propaganda? Maybe. But when a foreign force invades the territory you lived on and rapes you (even mentally), sometimes you do not have another choice. Especially if you were unable to escape. Don't get me wrong, in case of war I would be the first deserter because no war has enough justification. But would I be a deserter if my loved ones could not escape? I do not know.

[barleygirl]

This is like a punch to the gut becuz it's so powerful, yet stated with only mild rancor. I feel this exemplifies how to write an anti-war message, becuz it's not written with the intent to stir up the audience into a frenzy. That is, your writing style matches your message of peace . . . even tho you're not talking about peace at all . . . but showing how ugly war is & how detestable it is to use fear mongering to sustain our war machine. Needless to say, I couldn't agree with you more & I've never seen it stated so perfectly & peacefully. I would wager there will be many who reject your message (the millions with turned-off minds) or who simply cannot grasp the intelligence with which you write.

[Maria Prikhodko]

Thank you :) yes, I was scared that it might be too harsh for the audience. But sometimes we need to take risks I guess :)

[Sangeetha]

very true i agree with Miss barleygirl as your messege did convey the lying reality that goes on out there but i like how you took the risk to prove messege anyway.